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Telemedicine for ROP
Parag K Shah1, Appanraj Ramya1, Venkatapathy Narendran1
1Aravind Eye Hospital and Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Insights
Rising retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants necessitates new screening strategies. Telemedicine, using digital imaging and automated diagnosis, offers a solution to reduce ophthalmologist workload for ROP detection.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Increasing survival rates of preterm infants in the Asia-Pacific region have led to a rise in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) incidence.
- A significant shortage of trained ophthalmologists poses a challenge for timely ROP screening and diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current strategies for screening retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
- To explore the potential of telemedicine in reducing the burden on ophthalmologists for ROP screening.
- To examine advancements in digital imaging, telescreening programs, and automated ROP diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on digital imaging versus indirect ophthalmoscopy for ROP detection.
- Analysis of current global ROP telescreening programs.
- Examination of studies focused on automated diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity.
Main Results:
- Initial studies show promise in comparing digital imaging with traditional indirect ophthalmoscopy for ROP screening.
- Active ROP telescreening programs worldwide are demonstrating the feasibility of remote diagnosis.
- Emerging research in automated ROP diagnosis indicates potential for increased efficiency and accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine, incorporating digital imaging and automated analysis, presents a viable solution to address the growing challenge of ROP screening.
- These technological advancements can help mitigate the shortage of ophthalmologists and improve access to care for preterm infants.
- Further development and implementation of telescreening and automated diagnostic tools are crucial for managing retinopathy of prematurity.
Abstract:
With the increasing survival of preterm babies in the Asia-Pacific region, there has been an increase in the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). There is also a lack of trained ophthalmologists to screen for this disease. New strategies for screening of ROP are required, wherein the load on the ophthalmologist can be reduced. Telemedicine is an excellent tool to address this need. This paper reviews the initial studies comparing digital imaging with indirect ophthalmoscopy, the current active ROP telescreening programs in the world, and ends with studies dealing with automated diagnosis of ROP.
