Implementation of anterior segment ophthalmic telemedicine.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The growing push to integrate telemedicine into ophthalmic practices requires physicians to have a thorough understanding of ophthalmic telemedicine's applications, limitations, and recent advances in order to provide well tolerated and appropriate clinical care. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advancements in the use of ophthalmic telemedicine for anterior segment eye examinations. RECENT FINDINGS: Virtual care for anterior segment evaluation relies on appropriate technology, novel workflows, and appropriate clinical case selection. Recent advances, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted the utility of home-based assessments for visual acuity, external evaluation, tonometry, and refraction. Additionally, innovative workflows incorporating office-based testing into virtual care, termed 'hybrid telemedicine', enable high-quality ophthalmic testing to inform clinical decision-making. SUMMARY: Novel digital tools and workflows enable high-quality anterior segment evaluation and management for select ophthalmic concerns. This review highlights the clinical tools and workflows necessary to enable anterior segment telehealth.

Cauterization-mediated restriction from penetrating orbital trauma.

A healthy 32-year-old woman presented with binocular diplopia immediately after sustaining a penetrating injury to the left periocular adnexa with a hot metal skewer. Examination revealed an incomitant esotropia, with complete limitation of abduction of the left eye with downshoot in left gaze and normal afferent visual function. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated no fracture, but there was mild thickening of the medial rectus muscle and associated fat stranding. Lack of orbitomuscular tethering or hematoma led to the presumptive diagnosis of thermal cauterization injury causing left medial rectus restriction. Given the lack of literature on this mechanism of injury, the patient was monitored closely. She exhibited remarkable spontaneous improvement in motility over 6 months, with near orthophoria in primary gaze. However, bothersome residual esotropic diplopia in left gaze prompted a left medial rectus recession, with a good outcome. This case demonstrates that isolated extraocular muscle thermal injuries and consequential strabismus can recover spontaneously; longitudinal observation before surgical intervention may be appropriate in such cases.

A Novel Ophthalmic Telemedicine Program for Follow-Up of Minor Ophthalmic Emergencies.

Background: Near-term follow-up for minor ophthalmic emergencies is important to ensure positive patient outcomes but can impose logistical challenges for patients and ophthalmology practices. While ophthalmic telemedicine has been used for screening and triage, its feasibility and safety for follow-up care for minor ophthalmic emergencies have not been reported. The objective of this study was to report initial results of a novel virtual emergency department (ED) follow-up clinic. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients discharged from the ophthalmic ED who required near-term follow-up and carried diagnoses suitable for virtual evaluation, between December 6, 2021, and June 26, 2022, at a single tertiary eye care center. Main outcome measures included missed appointment rate, time interval between ED encounter and virtual follow-up, clinical diagnoses, and referrals after telemedicine follow-up (including for urgent ambulatory and ED evaluation). Results: A total of 145 virtual visits were scheduled with 99 (68.3%) completed appointments, yielding a no-show rate of 31.7%. Of the completed visits, the mean time interval between ED evaluation and virtual follow-up was 8.3 days (standard deviation ±3.9). Eighty-four (84.9%) visits were video-based and 15 (15.1%) were audio-only. Seventy-nine (94%) had at least one aspect of the ophthalmic examination documented. The most common diagnoses were chalazion (18), conjunctivitis (13), corneal abrasion (12), and encounter after corneal foreign body removal (7). After virtual follow-up, 23 patients (23.2%) had subsequent referrals, and no patients re-presented to the ophthalmic ED. Conclusions: Ophthalmic telemedicine may be a safe and feasible modality for providing timely post-acute near-term follow-up care for patients with appropriate ophthalmic diagnoses.

Remarkable Improvements After Cataract Surgery in a Presumed "End-Stage" Glaucoma Patient: A Case Report.

Predicting the visual outcome after cataract extraction can be challenging in glaucoma patients who develop cataracts. Here, we demonstrate the case of a patient with advanced glaucoma and a mild-to-moderate cataract at initial presentation, who demonstrated remarkable improvement in visual acuity following a period of controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) and the removal of a matured cataract at the time of surgery. A 64-year-old Haitian woman with severe mixed-mechanism glaucoma and hand motion vision in both eyes (OU) presented with intraocular pressures of 38 mmHg OD (oculus dexter/right eye) and 41 mmHg OS (oculus sinister/left eye) while on three IOP-lowering agents. Her medications were escalated to six IOP-lowering medications, and she underwent bilateral transscleral laser cyclophotocoagulation with both micropulse and continuous wave probes simultaneously. Postoperatively, IOPs dropped to 7 and 9 mmHg in the right and left eyes, respectively, and remained at or below target on three topical agents for the remainder of her follow-up. Contrastingly, the patient's cataract had progressed, and the decision was made to undergo cataract extraction OU sequentially. The subsequent clinical course demonstrated progressive visual improvement with 20/80 best-corrected visual acuity OU and increased independence with activities of daily living. This case illustrates the potential for visual improvement in an advanced glaucoma patient after removing a matured cataract despite limited prior expectations. Ocular comorbidities complicate but do not necessarily preclude appropriate interventions that may improve patients' vision-related quality of life.

Participant Experience Using Novel Perimetry Tests to Monitor Glaucoma Progression.

PRCIS: Participant surveys taken after using tablet-based and smart visual function analyzer (SVFA) perimetry tests suggest that patients may prefer novel perimetry tests over traditional visual field machines. PURPOSE: Compare patient experience using the IMOvifa SVFA and the tablet-based Melbourne Rapid Fields visual field (VF) tests to the Humphrey Field 24-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm Standard. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study on adult participants with diagnoses of glaucoma suspect, ocular hypertension, or glaucoma. Participants attended 2 study visits ~3 months apart. During the first visit, participants were trained to use the 2 novel perimeters, took 1 test on both new devices and the Humphrey Field Analyzer, then were surveyed. Participants received tablets and performed weekly tablet VF tests at home between study visits. At the final study visit, participants re-took the VF tests and completed the same surveys. RESULTS: Eighty-one participants were surveyed twice. At the baseline survey, participants preferred the SVFA (71.7%) and tablet tests (69.2%) over the Humphrey VF. Most were willing to perform weekly monitoring at home on the SVFA (69.1%) and tablet (75.4%). Participants generally had a "very good" overall experience when testing on the SVFA (71.6%) and tablet (90.1%). At the final visit, fewer participants were willing to test on the tablet daily (23.5% to 9.9%; P = 0.02 for change) and more were willing to test monthly (18.5% to 33.3%; P = 0.03 for change). CONCLUSION: Users reported a preference for novel VF devices. Overall participant experience using these devices was positive, supporting the feasibility of home monitoring of VFs from an experience perspective.

Comparison of Perimetric Outcomes from a Tablet Perimeter, Smart Visual Function Analyzer, and Humphrey Field Analyzer.

PURPOSE: The tablet-based Melbourne Rapid Fields (MRF) visual field (VF) test and the IMOvifa Smart Visual Function Analyzer (SVFA) are portable perimeters that may allow for at-home monitoring and more frequent testing. We compared tablet and SVFA results with outputs from the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) 24-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm Standard program. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Adult participants with a diagnosis of glaucoma, suspected glaucoma, or ocular hypertension seen in the Massachusetts Eye and Ear glaucoma clinic were enrolled. All participants were reliable and experienced HFA testers. METHODS: Participants were tested with the SVFA and HFA. The study staff also trained participants on the MRF tablet with instructions to take weekly tests at home for 3 months. Visual field results from the 3 devices were compared. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), reliability parameters, and point sensitivity. RESULTS: Overall, 79 participants (133 eyes) with a mean age of 61 ± 13 years (range, 26-79 years) were included; 59% of the participants were female, and the mean HFA MD was -2.7 ± 3.9 dB. The global indices of MD and PSD did not significantly vary between HFA and the 2 novel devices, except that the tablet VF reported a 0.6 dB higher PSD compared with HFA. However, tablet and SVFA sensitivities significantly differed from those of the HFA at 36 and 39 locations, respectively, out of 52 locations. Relative to HFA, the tablet overestimated light sensitivity in the nasal field while underestimating the temporal field. The SVFA generally underestimated light sensitivity, but its results were more similar to HFA results compared with the tablet. CONCLUSIONS: Although average MD values from the 2 novel devices suggest that they provide similar results to the HFA, point-by-point comparisons highlight notable deviations. Differences in specific point sensitivity values were significant, especially between the tablet and the other 2 devices. These differences may in part be explained by differences in the devices' normative databases as well as how MD is calculated. However, the tablet had substantial differences based on location, indicating that the tablet design itself may be responsible for differences in local sensitivities. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Detecting disease progression in mild, moderate and severe glaucoma.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to examine contemporary techniques for detecting the progression of glaucoma. We provide a general overview of detection principles and review evidence-based diagnostic strategies and specific considerations for detecting glaucomatous progression in patients with mild, moderate and severe disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Diagnostic techniques and technologies for glaucoma have dramatically evolved in recent years, affording clinicians an expansive toolkit with which to detect glaucoma progression. Each stage of glaucoma, however, presents unique diagnostic challenges. In mild disease, either structural or functional changes can develop first in disease progression. In moderate disease, structural or functional changes can occur either in tandem or in isolation. In severe disease, standard techniques may fail to detect further disease progression, but such detection can still be measured using other modalities. SUMMARY: Detecting disease progression is central to the management of glaucoma. Glaucomatous progression has both structural and functional elements, both of which must be carefully monitored at all disease stages to determine when interventions are warranted.

Primary Care Provider Familiarity and Compliance With Preferred Practice Patterns for Comprehensive Eye Examinations.

PURPOSE: To assess primary care practitioners' (PCPs) familiarity with American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern (PPP) guidelines on the frequency of comprehensive eye examinations (CEEs), and to explore their opinions and practices on counseling and referring patients for CEEs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Between February 1, 2019, and June 25, 2019, an anonymous survey was emailed to clinicians holding an MD, DO, PA, or NP degree, and residents at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Oklahoma. Descriptive statistics of participants' responses were reported. RESULTS: Regarding patient counseling on CEEs, 15.4% of PCPs reported "always," 48.1% "usually," and 36.5% "seldom" or "never" doing so. Few PCPs (11.1%) reported being able to describe the guidelines, and 63.9% were unaware of their existence. A strong majority of PCPs (90.7%) correctly referred a type 2 diabetic patient at their time of diagnosis, but a similar majority (77.8%) prematurely referred a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patient. One in 7 PCPs (13.4%) would refer a patient with family history of glaucoma only upon developing visual/ocular symptoms. Compared to other providers, PAs/NPs were more likely to recommend unnecessary CEEs for low-risk individuals (P = .009), whereas residents counseled patients less frequently (P = .003), were less likely to be familiar with PPP guidelines (P = .026), and were less likely to recommend appropriate follow-ups for patients with family history of glaucoma (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: PCPs' awareness of and familiarity with AAO CEE guidelines is variable and improves with provider age and experience. Efforts to improve PCP guideline awareness may be especially well suited to residents and mid-level practitioners.

Two pediatric cases of reticular corneal epithelial edema associated with netarsudil.

Purpose: To report two pediatric cases of reticular corneal epithelial edema associated with the use of netarsudil ophthalmic solution 0.02%. Observations: In Case 1, a six-year-old male with glaucoma following cataract surgery was treated with netarsudil for thirteen months and developed diffuse reticular corneal epithelial edema on post-operative day one after undergoing transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation for persistently elevated intraocular pressures. In Case 2, a three-month-old male with bilateral ocular hypertension developed unilateral inferior reticular corneal epithelial edema five weeks after initiation of netarsudil, which had been discontinued in the fellow eye two weeks prior. In both cases, the reticular epithelial edema resolved following cessation of netarsudil. Conclusions and Importance: Netarsudil-associated reticular corneal epithelial edema can occur in infants and young children.

Optic Perineuritis Associated With Cryptococcal Meningitis Presenting With a "Hot Orbit" in a Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

ABSTRACT: A 75-year-old man presented with 3 days of progressive left retro-orbital pain, eyelid swelling, tearing, and pain with extraocular movement. His medical history was significant for type II diabetes mellitus and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stable on no therapy since diagnosis 8 years prior. The initial examination was significant for diffuse restriction of left ocular motility, marked lid edema, and mild dyschromatopsia. Computed tomography demonstrated asymmetric left periorbital soft tissue swelling and intraconal fat stranding with an irregular left optic nerve sheath complex and clear paranasal sinuses. He was hospitalized for orbital cellulitis and treated empirically with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, but his visual acuity declined over the ensuing 2 days. Subsequent MRI demonstrated left-greater-than-right circumferential optic nerve sheath enhancement, and leptomeningeal enhancement. An orbital biopsy demonstrated monoclonal B-cell lymphocyte aggregation, whereas a lumbar puncture was positive for Cryptococcus antigen with subsequent demonstration of abundant Cryptococcus by Papanicolaou stain. The final diagnosis was optic perineuritis secondary to cryptococcal meningitis presenting with orbital inflammation. Although his clinical course was complicated by immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, symptoms and signs of optic neuropathy ultimately resolved after 1 month of intensive antifungal therapy.

Quantifying the educational benefit of additional cataract surgery cases in ophthalmology residency.

PURPOSE: To quantify the resident learning curve for cataract surgery using operative time as an indicator of surgical competency, to identify the case threshold at which marginal additional educational benefit became equivocal, and to characterize heterogeneity in residents' pathways to surgical competency. SETTING: Academic medical center. DESIGN: Large-scale retrospective consecutive case series. METHODS: All cataract surgery cases performed by resident physicians as primary surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2015, were reviewed. Data were abstracted from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs and operative time measurements. A linear mixed-methods analysis was conducted to model changes in residents' cataract surgery operative times as a function of sequential case number, with resident identity included as a random effect in the model to normalize between-resident variability. RESULTS: A total of 2096 cases were analyzed. A marked progressive decrease in operative time was noted for resident cases 1 to 39 (mean change -0.17 minutes per additional case, 95% CI, -0.21 to -0.12; P < .001). A modest, steady reduction in operative time was subsequently noted for case numbers 40 to 149 (mean change -0.05 minutes per additional case, 95% CI, -0.07 to -0.04; P < .001). No statistically significant improvement was found in operative times beyond the 150th case. CONCLUSIONS: Residents derived educational benefit from performing a greater number of cataract procedures than current minimum requirements. However, cases far in excess of this threshold might have diminishing educational return in residency. Educational resources currently used for these cases might be more appropriately devoted to other training priorities.

A review of longitudinal clinical programs in US medical schools.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal clinical experiences are a common component of undergraduate medical curricula, yet these programs have not been systematically characterized in US medical schools. OBJECTIVE: Our study sought to identify and characterize longitudinal clinical programs (LCPs) in US medical schools and measure associations between programs' structures and goals. DESIGN: Using a mixed-methods approach, we conducted a secondary analysis of data from publicly available websites. We conducted a systematic keyword search of the websites of 137 LCME-accredited US medical schools to identify LCPs. We included programs with student-patient interactions of at least six months. We categorized programs using qualitative thematic analysis and compared associations between program structures and goals. RESULTS: We identified 98 LCPs in 69 schools. Half (52.0%) of LCPs occurred during the core clinical year. Program structures included 'clinic attachments' (50.0%), 'longitudinal integrated clerkships' (26.5%), and 'patient attachments' (20.4%). We identified goals in 89 programs, including 'exposing students to specific topics, patient demographics, or practice settings' (78.7%); 'clinical or professional skill development' (65.2%); and 'understanding the patient experience' (19.1%). Patient attachments were associated with 'exposure to specific patient demographics' (P = .04) and 'understanding the patient experience' (P = .03). Pre-clinical programs were associated with clinical skills development (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies the scope and nature of LCPs in US medical schools. Understanding connections between educational structures and goals may guide program design and research investigations of educational processes and outcomes.

Analysis of early accountable care organizations defines patient, structural, cost, and quality-of-care characteristics.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have attracted interest from many policy makers and clinical leaders because of their potential to improve the quality of care and reduce costs. Federal ACO programs for Medicare beneficiaries are now up and running, but little information is available about the baseline characteristics of early entrants. In this descriptive study we present data on the structural and market characteristics of these early ACOs and compare ACOs' patient populations, costs, and quality with those of their non-ACO counterparts at baseline. We found that ACO patients were more likely than non-ACO patients to be older than age eighty and had higher incomes. ACO patients were less likely than non-ACO patients to be black, covered by Medicaid, or disabled. The cost of care for ACO patients was slightly lower than that for non-ACO patients. Slightly fewer than half of the ACOs had a participating hospital. Hospitals that were in ACOs were more likely than non-ACO hospitals to be large, teaching, and not-for-profit, although there was little difference in their performance on quality metrics. Our findings can be useful in interpreting the early results from the federal ACO programs and in establishing a baseline to assess the programs' development.

A survey of residential carbon monoxide detector utilization among Connecticut Emergency Department patients.

CONTEXT: The use of carbon monoxide detectors may prevent deaths due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Currently, there is limited data regarding the characteristics of residential carbon monoxide detector use. OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of residential carbon monoxide detector use. METHODS: A survey was administered to a convenience, cross-sectional sample of Emergency Department patients between June and August 2011. Inclusion criteria included patients who were older than 18 years, able to understand written or spoken English or Spanish, and lived in independent residential settings. Survey questions assessed the presence or absence of carbon monoxide and smoke detectors within the participant's home, the frequency of regular battery changes for both devices, location of carbon monoxide detectors within the home, and reasons for not installing carbon monoxide detectors (if applicable). Correlations between racial background, geographical area of residence (urban versus suburban), and income were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 1030 patients were surveyed. While 97.8% of respondents reported smoke detector use, only 44.4% had home carbon monoxide detectors installed. Only 17.2% had carbon monoxide detectors installed in or near their sleeping area, the correct location for detector placement. Carbon monoxide detector usage was found to be lowest among households earning less than $25,999 per year (27.3% reported having detectors), non-Caucasians (only 42.0% of African-Americans and 24.7% of Hispanics surveyed reported using detectors compared with 57.8% of Caucasians), renters, and urban residents. Reasons given for not having a carbon monoxide detector varied; many answers were consistent with a lack of awareness of the importance of using carbon monoxide detectors. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Residential carbon monoxide detectors were underutilized compared to smoke detectors. Increased public education, especially for minorities and lower income populations, is necessary regarding the use of carbon monoxide detectors for poisoning prevention.