A review on the use of telemedicine in glaucoma and possible roles in COVID-19 outbreak

Abstract

We review the use of telemedicine in glaucoma and its possible roles in the COVID-19 outbreak. We performed literature search of published articles of teleglaucoma on May 12, 2020, using search terms including “telemedicine” and “glaucoma”, limited to human studies, English language and published over the prior 10 years. This search strategy yielded a total of 14 relevant articles after manual curation. Of the 14 articles, 4 were from the same randomized control trial, 7 were prospective studies, 2 were retrospective studies,1 was descriptive analysis, and 1 was cost-effective analysis. Seven discussed the common ophthalmologic measurements used in teleglaucoma. Four demonstrated the cost effectiveness of the use of teleglaucoma and three articles investigated patient satisfaction with the use of teleglaucoma. Three articles investigated the correlation between teleglaucoma and face-to-face clinics. Five articles discussed the current use and opportunities of teleglaucoma. When compared to in-person care, teleglaucoma is more time- cost-effective, shows high patient satisfaction and fair to good agreement with in-person care; however, there is great variation in the reported sensitivity of glaucoma screening, warranting further studies to establish its efficacy. For glaucoma management, both the sensitivity and specificity must be further improved before it could be put into extensive use. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile for us to explore the possible extensive application of teleglaucoma in monitoring ‘glaucoma suspects’ and maintaining glaucoma follow-up during a pandemic outbreak to reduce the possible risk of transmission of infection.

Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review

“…Several studies including Blandford et al ( 2020 ), Mbunge et al ( 2021 ), Dodoo et al ( 2021 ), Galle et al ( 2021 ) and Lam et al ( 2021 ) noted that many countries adopted digital health technologies and some still piloting telemedicine to improve access and quality of healthcare services delivery during the pandemic to reduce transmission by observing COVID‐19 social and physical distancing guidelines. However, despite the progress made toward the adoption and utilization of telemedicine technologies such as tele‐education, teleconsultation (Bitar & Alismail, 2021 ), tele‐pharmacy, tele‐laboratory (Kamulegeya et al, 2020 ), teledermatology, teleradiology, telecardiology, tele‐ophthalmology, tele‐neurology, telerehabilitation, tele‐oncology, and telepsychiatry, little is known pertaining the adoption, success, and impediments hindering the utilization of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa, especially during the pandemic.…”

Automatic detection of glaucoma via fundus imaging and artificial intelligence: A review

“…Several portable fundus cameras have been developed; such devices are small, inexpensive, and are becoming straightforward enough to be operated by laypersons ( 48 ). A recent review on the use of telemedicine in glaucoma highlights that machines that are less operator-dependent should give more objective results even when they are operated by less experienced personnel at remote sites ( 56 ).…”

“…All fundus images were acquired with a mydriatic fundus camera CANON CF-60 Uvi equipped with a CANON EOS-20D digital camera with a 60-degree field of view (FOV). The image size is 3504 × 2336 pixels ( 56 ). The database curators do not state how many ophthalmologists were used for the ground truth.…”

Impact of COVID-19 on glaucoma management: A review

“…Teleglaucoma can assist in screening (71), diagnostic consultation (72,73), and long-term treatment monitoring (74)(75)(76). The most typical measurements involved in teleglaucoma include fundus images (76)(77)(78)(79), automated visual field testing (72,76,78), IOP (72,76,79), visual acuity (76,79,80), Slit lamp examination (76,77), corneal thickness (1,72,78), and Optical coherence tomography (77,78) Telemedicine has taken center stage due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has altered the pattern of healthcare delivery. Due to the ongoing epidemic, routine outpatient services and elective procedures have been discontinued, and only emergency inpatient care is being offered (1,80).…”