Abstract
Teleophthalmology is a developing field that presents diverse opportunities. One of its most successful applications to date has been in pediatric retinal disease, particularly in screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Many studies have shown that using telemedicine for ROP screening allows a remote ophthalmologist to identify abnormal findings and implement early interventions. Here, we review the literature on uses of telemedicine in pediatric retinal disease and consider future applications.
Highlights
Telemedicine broadly refers to the use of communications technology to assist in the diagnosis and management of disease [1]
Current guidelines recommend bedside screening of at-risk infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO); retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is required for
ROP screening via telemedicine required less time than BIO, thereby increasing the efficiency of the examining ophthalmologist [29], while Myung et al noted that digital image capture allowed for analysis of the progression of ROP over time [30]
Summary
Telemedicine broadly refers to the use of communications technology to assist in the diagnosis and management of disease [1]. Pediatric retinal disease is well suited to telemedicine because (1) the existing health care delivery system struggles to screen for these diseases [16,17]; (2) digital imaging tools allow us to address that need [18,19]; and (3) once a condition is identified, there are often therapeutic interventions available that benefit the patient [20,21]. It avoids the pitfalls facing telemedicine programs that are conceptually appealing but do not have clear targets and do not improve health. This review will summarize the literature and consider future applications of telemedicine in pediatric retinal disease
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