Concussion (Dec 2020)

Evaluation of two portable pupillometers to assess clinical utility

  • Rachel Eshima McKay,
  • Michael A Kohn,
  • Elliot S Schwartz,
  • Merlin D Larson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2217/cnc-2020-0016
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 4

Abstract

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Background: Pupillometers have been proposed as clinical assessment tools. We compared two pupillometers to assess measurement agreement. Materials & methods: We enrolled 30 subjects and simultaneously measured the pupil diameter and light reflex amplitude with an iPhone pupillometer and a portable infrared pupillometer. We then enrolled 40 additional subjects and made serial measurements with each device. Results: Failure occurred in 30% of attempts made with the iPhone pupillometer compared with 4% of attempts made with the infrared pupillometer (Fisher’s exact p = 0.0001). Method comparison of the two devices used simultaneously showed significant disagreement in dynamic measurements. Conclusion: The iPhone pupillometer had poor repeatability and suggests that it is not a practical tool to support clinical decisions.

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