Teleophthalmology and Artificial Intelligence As Game Changers in Ophthalmic Care After the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Anna Nikolaidou,Konstantinos T Tsaousis

doi:10.7759/cureus.16392

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic has boosted a sudden demand for telemedicine due to quarantine and travel restrictions. The exponential increase in the use of telemedicine is expected to affect ophthalmology drastically. The aim of this review is to discuss the utility, effectiveness and challenges of teleophthalmological new tools for eyecare delivery as well as its implementation and possible facilitation with artificial intelligence. We used the terms: “teleophthalmology,” “telemedicine and COVID-19,” “retinal diseases and telemedicine,” “virtual ophthalmology,” “cost effectiveness of teleophthalmology,” “pediatric teleophthalmology,” “Artificial intelligence and ophthalmology,” “Glaucoma and teleophthalmology” and “teleophthalmology limitations” in the database of PubMed and selected the articles being published in the course of 2015-2020. After the initial search, 321 articles returned as relevant. A meticulous screening followed and eventually 103 published manuscripts were included and used as our references. Emerging in the market, teleophthalmology is showing great potential for the future of ophthalmological care, benefiting both patients and ophthalmologists in times of pandemics. The spectrum of eye diseases that could benefit from teleophthalmology is wide, including mostly retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration but also glaucoma and anterior segment conditions. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence provides ways of implementing teleophthalmology easier and with better outcomes, contributing as significant changing factors for ophthalmology practice after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

BackgroundAs the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic arose in 2019, so did the implementation of telemedicine in a wide range of medical fields, among which, ophthalmology may be one of the most benefited ones [1]
We used the terms: “teleophthalmology,” “telemedicine and COVID-19,” “retinal diseases and telemedicine,” “virtual ophthalmology,” “cost effectiveness of teleophthalmology,” “pediatric teleophthalmology,” “Artificial intelligence and ophthalmology,” “Glaucoma and teleophthalmology” and “teleophthalmology limitations” in the database of PubMed and selected the articles being published in the course of 2015-2020
The spectrum of eye diseases that could benefit from teleophthalmology is wide, including mostly retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma and anterior segment conditions

Summary

Introduction

As the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic arose in 2019, so did the implementation of telemedicine in a wide range of medical fields, among which, ophthalmology may be one of the most benefited ones [1]. “Telemedicine” means medicine from a distance, deriving from the Greek prefix “tele,” which means “from afar.”. A subsection of telemedicine, teleophthalmology, involves telecommunication tools such as smartphones, powerful hardware, advanced software, wireless devices, and remote video tools and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) [2,3,4]. Providing healthcare from a distance, teleophthalmology has in recent years been in the spotlight of modern medicine, which was further triggered by the pandemic [5]

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