Diagnosis of retinal detachments by a tele-ophthalmology screening program

Sarah A. McCord, Mary G. Lynch, April Y. Maa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In 2015, a tele-ophthalmology program was undertaken at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center to provide screening eye care for veterans in their primary care clinics. Though this program was developed as a screening tool, the availability of these services in primary care clinics has enabled triage of certain acute eye complaints. These case reports describe two patients who were diagnosed with retinal detachments through this program, although their primary care providers had triaged them as requiring non-urgent referrals to the eye clinic. Although many patients are seen for acute ocular complaints in primary care clinics and emergency departments, providers in such settings may lack the ability to adequately examine eyes and thus triage ocular complaints. These cases demonstrate the ability of tele-ophthalmology to assist in diagnosing urgent ocular conditions in primary care clinics. Though tele-ophthalmology has been accepted in some parts of the world, in the United States of America it remains widely underutilized. These cases highlight the ability of tele-ophthalmology to close the gap in acute eye care coverage that exists in the USA, most prominently in rural regions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)190-192
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of telemedicine and telecare
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Ocular fundus photographs
  • retinal detachment
  • tele-ophthalmology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health Informatics

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