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Review
. 2013 Apr-Jun;20(2):142-9.
doi: 10.4103/0974-9233.110619.

Teleglaucoma: improving access and efficiency for glaucoma care

Faazil Kassam  1 , Kanagasingam Yogesan, Enitan Sogbesan, Louis R Pasquale, Karim F Damji
Affiliations
Review

Teleglaucoma: improving access and efficiency for glaucoma care

Faazil Kassam et al. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol. 2013 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Teleglaucoma is the application of telemedicine for glaucoma. We review and present the current literature on teleglaucoma; present our experience with teleglaucoma programs in Alberta, Canada and Western Australia; and discuss the challenges and opportunities in this emerging field. Teleglaucoma is a novel area that was first explored a little over a decade ago and early studies highlighted the technical challenges of delivering glaucoma care remotely. Advanced technologies have since emerged that show great promise in providing access to underserviced populations. Additionally, these technologies can improve the efficiency of healthcare systems burdened with an increasing number of patients with glaucoma, and a limited supply of ophthalmologists. Additional benefits of teleglaucoma systems include e-learning and e-research. Further work is needed to fully validate and study the cost and comparative effectiveness of this approach relative to traditional models of healthcare.

Keywords: Glaucoma; Teleglaucoma; Telemedicine; Teleophthalmology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The teleglaucoma and collaborative care pathway from University of Alberta. Adapted from Kassam et al.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The ‘hub-and-spoke’ framework for delivery of teleglaucoma at University of Alberta
Figure 3
Figure 3
The In-house teleglaucoma program patient flow at University of Alberta
Figure 4
Figure 4
Picture taken with a cellular device by a patient e-mailed to his physician
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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