Teleophthalmology in Practice: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Project

Abstract

Introduction:Ophthalmology is a medical specialty which may benefit from using telemedicine and teleophthalmology services. Such services are significantly important in the poor, remote, and impassable geographical areas, where there is no access to the ophthalmology services and ophthalmologists. This study aimed to design and implement a teleophthalmology system using the method of store-and-forward.Methods:The study was conducted in 2015 and consisted of two main phases. The first phase was based requirement analysis, and in the second phase, after designing the prototype, an initial usability testing was undertaken in a teaching hospital. The participants of the study were 10 optometrists and 10 ophthalmologists (cornea specialists). For each phase of the research, a questionnaire was used to collect data, and the collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:In this study, users’ requirements were initially investigated. Then, the teleophthalmology system was designed based on the literature review and the results derived from the requirements’ analysis. Finally, usability testing showed that the users were relatively satisfied with the system.Conclusion:According to the results, it can be concluded that the teleophthalmology technology can be used in the country by optometrists and ophthalmologists to improve eye health care services and to prevent the prevalence of curable eye diseases.

Informed consent in refractive surgery: in-person vs telemedicine approach

“…Previous studies found good agreement between the diagnosis and management decisions by teleophthalmology compared to the diagnosis and management decisions in eye clinics 2,5,6,11,12. This is mostly because diagnostic imaging and measurements play an important role in ophthalmology4 and these can be easily transferred via telemedicine and help in making a diagnosis or deciding on the suitability of candidates for surgery. In our consenting approach, however, the patient is always clinically examined by an ophthalmologist and the final decision to proceed with surgery is always made by the treating surgeon.…”

“…This includes multiple areas of health care delivery: consenting, achieving a diagnosis, instituting treatment, disease prevention, and medical research 1–3. In ophthalmology, telemedicine (or “teleophthalmology”) has been used mainly for screening for glaucoma, cataract, or retinal diseases, providing patients in rural and remote areas with improved access to eye care 2,4–6. There have also been some recent reports of using teleophthalmology as a therapeutic, rather than just diagnostic tool (eg, teleophthalmology navigated retinal laser therapy), which could have great potential for the future 7…”

Revisiting the Role of Telemedicine Under the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

“…Concerning patient's privacy, real-time (synchronous) interaction like tele-visits and tele-consultation are rather sensitive with medico-legal concerns. However, unidirectional communications (store-and-forward) by hinting or reporting with subsequent feedback are much simpler (5). Common examples include actively hinting patients on timely usage of medication, regular physiotherapy or latest update of the 2019-nCoV outbreak.…”

Cryopreservation in Ophthalmology

“…Corneal disease is one of the world's leading causes of blindness. Corneal scarring and haze due to various factors can affect vision, making corneal transplantation an important means of treatment for corneal diseases [35][36][37]. Advances in corneal preservation techniques have improved the survival rate of corneal grafts [38] and have largely contributed to the development of modern corneal transplant surgery [39].…”