David J Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Lahey De-partment of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, UMass Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805, United States. david.j.ramsey@lahey.org
Research Domain of This Article
Ophthalmology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Kira J Szulborski, David J Ramsey, Department of Ophthalmology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, United States
Kira J Szulborski, David J Ramsey, Lahey Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, UMass Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts, Burlington, MA 01805, United States
David J Ramsey, Graduate Faculty, New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA 02115, United States
Author contributions: Szulborski KJ and Ramsey DJ designed and performed the research, and wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: David J Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Lahey De-partment of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, UMass Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805, United States. david.j.ramsey@lahey.org
Received: March 31, 2024 Revised: May 29, 2024 Accepted: June 21, 2024 Published online: August 15, 2024 Processing time: 116 Days and 10.2 Hours
Abstract
The utilization of non-mydriatic fundus photography-assisted telemedicine to screen patients with diabetes mellitus for diabetic retinopathy provides an accurate, efficient, and cost-effective method to improve early detection of disease. It has also been shown to correlate with increased participation of patients in other aspects of diabetes care. In particular, patients who undergo teleretinal imaging are more likely to meet Comprehensive Diabetes Care Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set metrics, which are linked to preservation of quality-adjusted life years and additional downstream healthcare savings.
Core Tip: Point-of-care screening for diabetic retinopathy by means of teleretinal imaging provides an effective and economical method to improve early detection of eye disease in at-risk populations. Non-mydriatic fundus photography (NMFP)-assisted telemedicine allows critical ophthalmic examinations to reach individuals when resources for eye care are limited or difficult to access. As technology continues to evolve, further research efforts should focus on refining NMFP-assisted telemedicine protocols and evaluating its long-term impact on patient outcomes across the spectrum of healthcare settings.
