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By Denise Primbet published 1 October 21

An ophthalmologist is using his iPhone 13 Pro Max to monitor the eyes of a cornea transplant patient

We already knew that the newly introduced iPhone 13 Pro models had superb camera capabilities. But one U.S. ophthalmologist has put the his iPhone 13 Pro Max camera to medicinal use in order monitor eyes of a patient who's recently had a cornea transplant procedure. 

In a recent LinkedIn post, Dr Tommy Korn described how he used the Macro mode in order to capture close-up and detailed photos of a cornea transplant patient so as to monitor the healing process. 

Korn said he was "impressed" by the quality of the shots and claimed that such technology "will innovate patient eye care and telemedicine." As seen below, the ophthalmologist managed to take extremely detailed photographs two days apart to observe whether the post-procedure abrasion had been being healing properly. 

In a separate LinkedIn post from two weeks ago, Korn outlined key reasons why Macro smartphone photography through devices such as the iPhone 13 Pro can help innovate eye care. 

The doctor explained that with the help of such advanced camera systems, patients can remotely send high-quality photo reports of the healing process that can help the ophthalmologists determine whether there's a need for further treatment more accurately. According to Korn, macro eye shots can also help better identify if the patient's condition requires an emergency treatment. 

"For emergency/urgent care doctors, macro eye photography can improve peer to peer physician 'curbside' consults when emergency/urgent care physicians communicate with ophthalmologists about patients with emergency eye conditions," he added. 

Professor of Ohthalmology and Plastic Surgery at University of California Bobby Korn was also impressed by Korn's shots and said that "this could be used for oculoplastic lesions as well." Both professionals had agreed that such smartphone camera lenses can even rival that of the DSLR. 

Whether the iPhone 13 Pro models will be used more widely among medical professionals is unclear, but we know for a fact that the camera set of the iPhone 13 Pro certainly deserves the praise. As we highlighted in our iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max face-off, both models share the same camera system, with the only major differences being the battery and display sizes. 

In our iPhone 13 Pro Max review, our global editor Mark Spoonauer said that "it’s the iPhone 13 Pro Max's cameras that put this phone over the top, as they're the best I've tested on a phone so far." That's thanks to the new sensors that let in more light, delivering brighter images, a more powerful 3x optical/15x digital zoom and, of course, the new macro mode. 

Denise is a news writer at Tom’s Guide covering all things tech, gaming software/hardware, fitness, streaming, and more. She regularly produces short-form news articles as well as long-form content, including reviews, buying guides, how-tos, and features. When she's not playing horror games, she can be found exploring East London while playing Pokemon Go. She’s also a part-time piano enthusiast and regularly experiments in the kitchen. You can reach her at denise.primbet@futurenet.com.

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