Assessment of a teleophthalmology program for the prevention of diabetes blindness in a rural area of Argentina.

Abstract

Teleophthalmology programs have become one of the main tools for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy. Assessing the implementation of these programs is essential to contextualize and understand their effectiveness in different regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of annual eye examination in people with diabetes before and after implementing a teleophthalmology program in the province of La Pampa (Argentina). A before-and-after study design was performed, comparing the rate of eye examination performed before and after starting with the Program. The analysis was carried out with a random survey of people with diabetes. People from rural and urban areas of the province were included. The program was implemented only in the rural area, while the urban area has the traditional care system. The annual eye examination rate carried out before and after the implementation of the Program in rural areas improved from 39.3% to 78.6%. Being 22.9% higher than in the urban area. The studied teleophthalmology program achieved a significant increase in eye examinations. These kinds of programs are essential to face blindness due to diabetes in the rural regions of Argentina.