Chapter 3 - Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery Telehealth

ABSTRACT

Oculoplastic surgery is uniquely well-positioned within the field of eye care to employ telehealth due to the largely external nature of the conditions treated. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, telehealth was seldom used in this subspecialty. The year 2020 saw a rapid increase in the use of telehealth by oculoplastic surgeons, particularly synchronous home-based video telehealth. The technology has been most popular for post-operative visits, though surgeons have advocated for its use for various other visit types as well. Oculoplastic surgery societies have advised in favor of using telehealth, but consensus within the field for how it is best used is lacking. This chapter introduces best practices for telehealth visit types and examination techniques for oculoplastic surgeons and suggests directions for future study.