What are the best sources for pictures and videos of ophthalmology diseases?

Best Sources for Ophthalmology Disease Pictures and Videos

For clinical education and reference, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) website at www.aao.org provides the most authoritative and comprehensive collection of ophthalmology disease images and educational materials, as it is the primary professional organization producing evidence-based clinical guidelines and educational resources for ophthalmologists. 1

Primary Professional Resources

American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)

• The AAO website (www.aao.org) serves as the gold standard resource, providing peer-reviewed clinical images, videos, and educational materials directly linked to their Preferred Practice Pattern guidelines 1
• The AAO's low vision and vision rehabilitation section (www.aao.org/low-vision-and-vision-rehab) contains specialized visual materials for patient education and rehabilitation 1
• AAO materials are created and vetted by ophthalmology subspecialists, ensuring clinical accuracy and relevance to current practice standards 1

Imaging Modalities Documentation

• Color and red-free fundus photography provides essential documentation of retinal pathology, vascular caliber changes, hemorrhages, and optic disc abnormalities 1, 2
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images offer high-resolution cross-sectional views of retinal anatomy, macular disease, and vitreoretinal interface pathology 1, 3
• Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography demonstrate vascular flow patterns, ischemia, and choroidal circulation abnormalities 1, 2
• Anterior segment photography and slit-lamp images document corneal, iris, and lens pathology 1

Supplementary Educational Websites

High-Quality Medical Portals

• Mayo Clinic website demonstrates superior accuracy for patient-oriented ophthalmology information, with patients who visited this site showing 89% diagnostic accuracy compared to 30% for other websites 4
• Google and WebMD are the most frequently accessed sites by patients (82% and 40% respectively), though their accuracy varies 4
• Commercial search engines may prioritize commercial partnerships over educational content, making direct access to nonprofit and educational organization sites preferable 5

Specialized Resources

• Gonioscopy.org provides specific educational materials and technique videos for anterior chamber angle examination 1
• Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists (www.clao.org/publications) offers specialized imaging for contact lens-related complications 1

Clinical Documentation Standards

Essential Image Types by Condition

• Bacterial keratitis: Slit-lamp photography documenting corneal infiltrates, epithelial defects, and anterior chamber inflammation 1
• Retinal vascular occlusions: Fundus photography showing retinal hemorrhages, cotton wool spots, vascular "boxcarring," and emboli; OCT demonstrating inner retinal thickening 1, 2
• Glaucoma: Stereoscopic optic disc photographs, RNFL imaging via OCT or scanning laser polarimetry, and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy 1
• Angle-closure disease: Gonioscopy images, anterior segment OCT, and ultrasound biomicroscopy 1
• Dry eye: Meibography, tear film interferometry, and ocular surface staining patterns 1

Important Caveats

Quality and Accuracy Concerns

• Internet resources vary dramatically in quality, with some search engines heavily tilted toward commercial interests rather than educational accuracy 5
• Patient self-diagnosis accuracy improves with online resources (41% vs 13% for non-users), but this still means 59% of internet users reach incorrect conclusions 4
• Rare diseases may be underrepresented in publicly available datasets, with glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration disproportionately overrepresented 6

Dataset Limitations

• Most publicly available ophthalmology datasets originate from Asia, North America, and Europe, creating geographic and ethnic representation gaps 6
• Demographic metadata (age, sex, ethnicity) is poorly reported even in research datasets, limiting their generalizability 6
• Image augmentation techniques can compensate for small sample sizes in machine learning applications but may not reflect true disease prevalence 3

Clinical Integration

• Imaging should never delay urgent care, particularly in cases requiring immediate stroke center transfer for retinal artery occlusions 1
• Fundus photography serves as screening but is not a substitute for comprehensive dilated examination by an eye care professional 1
• Electronic health record integration of ophthalmic images remains incomplete, with only 15% of practices having all imaging devices fully integrated 7