The rapid development and increasing popularity of smartphones have led to their gradual integration as essential aids in medical examinations and teaching tools. The smartphone ophthalmoscope (SO) is one of them. Specifically, SO is comprised of a smartphone and an attachment. The smartphone serves as a versatile device for recording and transmitting information, while the attachment functions as a tool for phone fixation as well as focus adjustment and providing light resources, albeit with slight variations across different devices. Presently, the convenience, universality, and transferability of SO have greatly expanded its potential in fields of clinical practice and ocular teaching. The review provides a concise overview of the contemporary SO devices, elucidates the diseases amenable to assessment via SO, and outlines the various applications of SO in clinical practice and teaching.