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Parikh AA, Liebman DL, Armstrong GW. A Novel Ophthalmic Telemedicine Program for Follow-Up of Minor Ophthalmic Emergencies. Telemed J E Health 2024; 30:835-840. [PMID: 37751196 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Near-term follow-up for minor ophthalmic emergencies is important to ensure positive patient outcomes but can impose logistical challenges for patients and ophthalmology practices. While ophthalmic telemedicine has been used for screening and triage, its feasibility and safety for follow-up care for minor ophthalmic emergencies have not been reported. The objective of this study was to report initial results of a novel virtual emergency department (ED) follow-up clinic. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients discharged from the ophthalmic ED who required near-term follow-up and carried diagnoses suitable for virtual evaluation, between December 6, 2021, and June 26, 2022, at a single tertiary eye care center. Main outcome measures included missed appointment rate, time interval between ED encounter and virtual follow-up, clinical diagnoses, and referrals after telemedicine follow-up (including for urgent ambulatory and ED evaluation). Results: A total of 145 virtual visits were scheduled with 99 (68.3%) completed appointments, yielding a no-show rate of 31.7%. Of the completed visits, the mean time interval between ED evaluation and virtual follow-up was 8.3 days (standard deviation ±3.9). Eighty-four (84.9%) visits were video-based and 15 (15.1%) were audio-only. Seventy-nine (94%) had at least one aspect of the ophthalmic examination documented. The most common diagnoses were chalazion (18), conjunctivitis (13), corneal abrasion (12), and encounter after corneal foreign body removal (7). After virtual follow-up, 23 patients (23.2%) had subsequent referrals, and no patients re-presented to the ophthalmic ED. Conclusions: Ophthalmic telemedicine may be a safe and feasible modality for providing timely post-acute near-term follow-up care for patients with appropriate ophthalmic diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayush A Parikh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel L Liebman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Grayson W Armstrong
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Clare G, Kempen JH, Pavésio C. Infectious eye disease in the 21st century-an overview. Eye (Lond) 2024:10.1038/s41433-024-02966-w. [PMID: 38355671 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-02966-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases affecting the eye often cause unilateral or asymmetric visual loss in children and people of working age. This group of conditions includes viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases, both common and rare presentations which, in aggregate, may account for a significant portion of the global visual burden. Diagnosis is frequently challenging even in specialist centres, and many disease presentations are highly regional. In an age of globalisation, an understanding of the various modes of transmission and the geographic distribution of infections can be instructive to clinicians. The impact of eye infections on global disability is currently not sufficiently captured in global prevalence studies on visual impairment and blindness, which focus on bilateral disease in the over-50s. Moreover, in many cases it is hard to differentiate between infectious and immune-mediated diseases. Since infectious eye diseases can be preventable and frequently affect younger people, we argue that in future prevalence studies they should be considered as a separate category, including estimates of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) as a measure of overall disease burden. Numbers of ocular infections are uniquely affected by outbreaks as well as endemic transmission, and their control frequently relies on collaborative partnerships that go well beyond the remit of ophthalmology, encompassing domains as various as vaccination, antibiotic development, individual healthcare, vector control, mass drug administration, food supplementation, environmental and food hygiene, epidemiological mapping, and many more. Moreover, the anticipated impacts of global warming, conflict, food poverty, urbanisation and environmental degradation are likely to magnify their importance. While remote telemedicine can be a useful aide in the diagnosis of these conditions in resource-poor areas, enhanced global reporting networks and artificial intelligence systems may ultimately be required for disease surveillance and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John H Kempen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Sight for Souls, Bellevue, WA, USA
- MCM Eye Unit; MyungSung Christian Medical Center (MCM) Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and MyungSung Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Addis Ababa University School of Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Cañizares S, Torres MB, Carrera G, Ruiz C, Gabela MC, Ocampo J, Caicedo A. Improving teleophthalmology protocols in high-occupancy, high-demand, and remote settings. Eye (Lond) 2024; 38:406-407. [PMID: 37587372 PMCID: PMC10810883 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-023-02701-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stalin Cañizares
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina iBioMed, Quito, Ecuador
- Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador
| | - María Belen Torres
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina iBioMed, Quito, Ecuador
- Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Carrera
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina iBioMed, Quito, Ecuador
- Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Cristina Ruiz
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina iBioMed, Quito, Ecuador
- Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Jaime Ocampo
- Sistemas Médicos SIME, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Andrés Caicedo
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador.
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina iBioMed, Quito, Ecuador.
- Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador.
- Sistemas Médicos SIME, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
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Chung RT, Legault GL, Stowe JS, Miller KE, Moccia MA, Cooper MR, Little JR, Gensheimer WG. Applying a Military Teleophthalmology Mobile App in a Noncombat Emergent Care Setting. Mil Med 2023; 188:e2909-e2915. [PMID: 36394286 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usac345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Teleophthalmology has a natural role in the military due to the inherent organization of its medical system, which provides care to patients in remote locations around the world. Improving access to ophthalmic care enhances force readiness because ocular trauma and disease can cause vision impairment or blindness and can occur anywhere service members are located. Recently, a secure, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant mobile phone application (app) for teleophthalmology called Forward Operating Base Expert Telemedicine Resource Utilizing Mobile Application for Trauma (FOXTROT) was beta tested in Afghanistan and demonstrated that this solution can improve and extend ophthalmic care in a deployed environment. There are few civilian or military teleophthalmology solutions for ocular trauma and disease in an urgent or emergent ophthalmic care setting. Civilian teleophthalmology solutions have largely been developed for disease-specific models of care. In this work, we address this gap by testing the FOXTROT app in a non-deployed, emergent care setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS We evaluated the use of the teleophthalmology mobile phone app (FOXTROT) in a non-deployed military setting at the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Consults from the emergent care center were placed by providers using the app, and the on-call ophthalmologist responded with treatment and management recommendations. The primary outcomes were response within the requested time, visual acuity tested in both eyes, agreement between the teleophthalmology and the final diagnosis, and the number of communication or technical errors that prevented the completion of consults. The secondary outcomes were average response time and the number of consults uploaded to the medical record. RESULTS From October 2020 to January 2022, 109 consults were received. Ten consults had communication or technical errors that prevented the completion of consults within the app and were excluded from the analysis of completed consults. Of the 99 completed consults, responses were given within the requested time in 95 (96.0%), with the average response time in 11 minutes 48 seconds (95% confidence interval, 8 minutes 57 seconds to 14 minutes 41 seconds). Visual acuity was tested in both eyes in 56 (56.6%). There was agreement between the teleophthalmology diagnosis and the final diagnosisin 40 of 50 (80.0%) consults with both a teleophthalmology and final diagnosis. Ninety-eight (99.0%) consults were uploaded to the patient's medical record. CONCLUSIONS Beta testing of a teleophthalmology mobile phone app (FOXTROT) in a noncombat emergent care setting demonstrated that this solution can extend ophthalmic care in this environment at a military treatment facility. However, improvements in the reliability of the platform are needed in future developments to reduce communication and technical errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T Chung
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Gary L Legault
- Department of Ophthalmology, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
- Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stowe
- US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Fort Rucker, AL 36362, USA
| | - Kyle E Miller
- Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA 23708, USA
| | - Michelle A Moccia
- Warfighter Eye Center, Joint Base Andrews, Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762, USA
| | - Mabel R Cooper
- Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jeanette R Little
- Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
- Digital Health Innovation Center (DHIC), Fort Gordon, GA 30905, USA
- US Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC), Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA
| | - William G Gensheimer
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Section of Ophthalmology, White River Junction VA Medical Center, White River Junction, VT 05001, USA
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Meshkin RS, Aziz K, Weinert MC, Lorch AC, Armstrong GW. Telemedicine Training in Ophthalmology Residency Programs. J Acad Ophthalmol (2017) 2023; 15:e172-e174. [PMID: 37576804 PMCID: PMC10421718 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1772789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S. Meshkin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kanza Aziz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Marguerite C. Weinert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alice C. Lorch
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Grayson W. Armstrong
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Dolar-Szczasny J, Barańska A, Rejdak R. Evaluating the Efficacy of Teleophthalmology in Delivering Ophthalmic Care to Underserved Populations: A Literature Review. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12093161. [PMID: 37176602 PMCID: PMC10179149 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12093161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Technological advancement has brought commendable changes in medicine, advancing diagnosis, treatment, and interventions. Telemedicine has been adopted by various subspecialties including ophthalmology. Over the years, teleophthalmology has been implemented in various countries, and continuous progress is being made in this area. In underserved populations, due to socioeconomic factors, there is little or no access to healthcare facilities, and people are at higher risk of eye diseases and vision impairment. Transportation is the major hurdle for these people in obtaining access to eye care in the main hospitals. There is a dire need for accessible eye care for such populations, and teleophthalmology is the ray of hope for providing eye care facilities to underserved people. Numerous studies have reported the advantages of teleophthalmology for rural populations such as being cost-effective, timesaving, reliable, efficient, and satisfactory for patients. Although it is being practiced in urban populations, for rural populations, its benefits amplify. However, there are certain obstacles as well, such as the cost of equipment, lack of steady electricity and internet supply in rural areas, and the attitude of people in certain regions toward acceptance of teleophthalmology. In this review, we have discussed in detail eye health in rural populations, teleophthalmology, and its effectiveness in rural populations of different countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Dolar-Szczasny
- Chair and Department of General and Pediatric Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-079 Lublin, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Barańska
- Department of Medical Informatics and Statistics with E-Learning Laboratory, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Robert Rejdak
- Chair and Department of General and Pediatric Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-079 Lublin, Poland
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Cheng D, Babij R, Cabrera D, Yuan M, Port A, Mckenney AS, Zhu J, Van Tassel S, Imperato-McGinley J, Sun G. Effective Low-Cost Ophthalmological Screening With a Novel iPhone Fundus Camera at Community Centers. Cureus 2022; 14:e28121. [PMID: 35990564 PMCID: PMC9389029 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ophthalmologic care is inaccessible to many people due to a variety of factors, including the availability of providers, cost of equipment for ophthalmologic care, and transportation to clinics and appointments. Because many causes of blindness are both highly prevalent and preventable once identified, it is essential to address gaps in care for underserved populations. We developed a novel 3D-printed mobile retinal camera. In this study, we organized recurring student-run screening events around New York City that took place in community centers and churches, at which we utilized our device to take retinal images. Our screening events reached a diverse population of New Yorkers, disproportionately those with lower household income, many of whom had not had recent eye exams. To validate the device for use in telehealth ophthalmologic visits, we transmitted the images to a remote ophthalmologist for evaluation and compared the result with an on-site attending physician’s dilated eye exam. The subjective assessment indicated that 97% of images captured with the mobile retinal camera were acceptable for telehealth analysis. Remote image assessment by achieved 92% sensitivity and 83% specificity in detecting optic disc cupping, compared to the gold-standard on-site dilated eye exam. In addition, the device was portable, affordable, and able to be used by those with relatively little ophthalmologic training. We have demonstrated the utility of this affordable mobile retinal camera for telehealth ophthalmologic evaluation during community screening events that reached an underserved population to detect disease and connect with long-term care.
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Mazzuca D, Borselli M, Gratteri S, Zampogna G, Feola A, Della Corte M, Guarna F, Scorcia V, Giannaccare G. Applications and Current Medico-Legal Challenges of Telemedicine in Ophthalmology. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:ijerph19095614. [PMID: 35565003 PMCID: PMC9101177 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The digital revolution is redesigning the healthcare model, and telemedicine offers a good example of the best cost-effectiveness ratio. The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the use of the telemedicine. The aim of this review is to describe and discuss the role and the main applications of telemedicine in the ophthalmic clinical practice as well as the related medico-legal aspects. METHODS 45 original articles and 5 reviews focused on this topic and published in English language from 1997 and 2021 were searched on the online databases of Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Sciences and Embase, by using the following key words: "telemedicine", "privacy", "ophthalmology", "COVID-19" and "informed consent". RESULTS Telemedicine is able to guarantee patient care using information and communication technologies. Technology creates an opportunity to link doctors with the aim of assessing clinical cases and maintaining high standards of care while performing and saving time as well. Ophthalmology is one of the fields in which telemedicine is most commonly used for patient management. CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine offers benefits to patients in terms of saving time and costs and avoiding physical contact; however, it is necessary to point out significant limitations such as the absence of physical examinations, the possibility of transmission failure and potential violations of privacy and confidentiality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Mazzuca
- Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.); (M.D.C.); (F.G.)
| | - Massimiliano Borselli
- Department of Ophthalmology, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (M.B.); (V.S.)
| | - Santo Gratteri
- Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.); (M.D.C.); (F.G.)
| | - Giovanna Zampogna
- Department of Law, Economics and Human Sciences (DIGIES), Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria, Via dell’Università 25, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy;
| | - Alessandro Feola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Marcello Della Corte
- Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.); (M.D.C.); (F.G.)
| | - Francesca Guarna
- Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.); (M.D.C.); (F.G.)
| | - Vincenzo Scorcia
- Department of Ophthalmology, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (M.B.); (V.S.)
| | - Giuseppe Giannaccare
- Department of Ophthalmology, University ‘Magna Græcia’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy; (M.B.); (V.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0961-3647-041; Fax: +39-0961-3647-094
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