Tele-ophthalmology for age-related macular degeneration during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
J Telemed Telecare
; 28(9): 670-679, 2022 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2020648
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
COVID-19 has disrupted how ophthalmic practice is conducted worldwide. One patient population that may suffer from poor outcomes during the pandemic are those with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Many practices are performing some form of tele-ophthalmology services for their patients, and guidance is needed on how to maintain continuity of care amongst patients with AMD using tele-ophthalmology.METHODS:
A literature search was conducted, ending 1 August 2020, to identify AMD outcomes and telecare management strategies that could be used during the COVID-19 pandemic.RESULTS:
237 total articles were retrieved, 56 of which were included for analysis. Four American Academy of Ophthalmology and Center for Disease Control web resources were also included.DISCUSSION:
Risk-stratification models have been developed that let providers readily screen existing patients for their future risk of neovascular AMD (nAMD). When used with at-home monitoring devices to detect nAMD, providers may be able to determine who should be contacted via tele-ophthalmology for screening. Telemedicine triage can be used for new complaints of vision loss to determine who should be referred to a retinal specialist for management of suspected nAMD. To increase access and provider flexibility, smartphone fundus photography images sent to a centralized tele-ophthalmology service can aid in the detection of nAMD. Considerations should also be made for COVID-19 transmission, and tele-ophthalmology can be used to screen patients for the presence of COVID-19 prior to in-person office visits. Tele-ophthalmology has additional utility in connecting with nursing home, rural, and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients in the post-pandemic period.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ophthalmology
/
Telemedicine
/
Wet Macular Degeneration
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Telemed Telecare
Journal subject:
Medical Informatics
/
Health Services
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
1357633X20960636
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