Glaucoma and telemedicine: Current status and possible future scenarios in Spain

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 created the need to provide medical care remotely. Although it was not implemented according to standards defined by scientific communities, it served as a first contact with virtual consultations.

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted among attendees of the "Glaucoma Home" session held during the XVII Congress of the Spanish Glaucoma Society (SEG) in March 2023 in Madrid.

Ninety-four ophthalmologists responded. Among those already using virtual glaucoma consultations, 65.4% rated them as good in terms of efficiency, safety, and patient acceptance; only 15.4% rated them poorly. In contrast, among those not practicing it, only 5.6% rated it positively, while over 75% rated it between low and very low. Sixty-six ophthalmologists do not conduct virtual glaucoma visits, mainly due to lack of personnel or appropriate space. Of these, 47% plan to implement it. Among those currently practicing telemedicine, 27% started within the last year, 62% between one and three years ago, and 10% more than three years ago. Only 3.4% have been practicing for over five years. The main candidates for telemedicine are patients with ocular hypertension or stable glaucoma. Most tests are performed in hospitals, mainly by optometrists (50%) and nursing staff (25%), and are evaluated by ophthalmologists (89.5%).

The pandemic boosted the use of telemedicine in glaucoma, with a positive evaluation from those who have implemented it.