Ophthalmologic electronic imaging and data transfer

A technique has been developed that allows slit lamp images from a patient in a remote locale to be captured by a computer, with the assistance of a non-ophthalmologist, and transmitted at rapid speeds through telephone lines to an ophthalmologist for visualization of relevant clinical information. The results from this study indicate that (1) eye examinations can be performed at the remote site by non-ophthalmologists; (2) objective data can be transferred to a centralized ophthalmologist for expert interpretation; and (3) decisions can be rendered in areas where medical needs are underserved.