Digital Ophthalmology in the UK – Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Virtual Glaucoma Clinics in the National Health Service

Heinrich Heimann; Deborah Broadbent; Robert Cheeseman

doi:10.1055/a-1300-7779

Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde, Table of Contents

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2020; 237(12): 1400-1408
DOI: 10.1055/a-1300-7779

Übersicht

Digital Ophthalmology in the UK – Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Virtual Glaucoma Clinics in the National Health Service

Article in several languages: English | deutsch

Authors

Heinrich Heimann

St. Pauls Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Deborah Broadbent

St. Pauls Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Robert Cheeseman

St. Pauls Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Abstract

The customary doctor and patient interactions are currently undergoing significant changes through technological advances in imaging and data processing and the need for reducing person-to person contacts during the COVID-19 crisis. There is a trend away from face-to-face examinations to virtual assessments and decision making. Ophthalmology is particularly amenable to such changes, as a high proportion of clinical decisions are based on routine tests and imaging results, which can be assessed remotely. The uptake of digital ophthalmology varies significantly between countries. Due to financial constraints within the National Health Service, specialized ophthalmology units in the UK have been early adopters of digital technology. For more than a decade, patients have been managed remotely in the diabetic retinopathy screening service and virtual glaucoma clinics. We describe the day-to-day running of such services and the doctor and patient experiences with digital ophthalmology in daily practice.

Key words

diabetic retinopathy - screening - glaucoma

Full Text

References

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