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Improving Access to Eye Care in Rural Communities: PocDoc's Web-Based Visual Acuity Screening Tool
Shreya Sah1, Renee Liu2, HaoXing Lai3
1University of New South Wales (UNSW) Medicine, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Summary
A web-based visual acuity (VA) test, PocDoc, showed comparable effectiveness to conventional methods in an Indian rural population. This digital tool offers potential for improved visual impairment screening in underserved areas.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Public Health
- Digital Health Innovations
Background:
- Visual acuity (VA) testing is vital for early detection of visual impairment, particularly in rural healthcare settings.
- Access to effective VA testing is a significant challenge in remote Indian communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based VA test (PocDoc) compared to conventional methods.
- To assess PocDoc's potential for addressing visual impairment in the Indian rural population.
Main Methods:
- Prospective comparative study involving 428 patients in central India.
- Comparison of PocDoc VA test results (three device types) against conventional VA testing.
- Statistical analysis using Bland-Altman plots, Fisher's exact tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Main Results:
- A total of 792 VA measurements were analyzed from patients with a mean age of 36.7 years.
- PocDoc yielded slightly lower VA scores (mean logMAR: 0.345) than conventional tests (mean logMAR: 0.315).
- High correlation coefficients (rho=0.845, rho2=0.7133) were observed between PocDoc and conventional VA values.
Conclusions:
- The PocDoc web-based VA test demonstrates comparable effectiveness to conventional methods for visual impairment screening.
- This digital approach holds promise for enhancing eye care accessibility and early intervention in rural Indian populations.
- Further validation can improve quality of life for individuals with visual impairment through timely diagnosis.
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