Telemedicine Improves Eye Examination Rates in Individuals With Diabetes
A model for eye-care delivery in underserved communities
- Richard M. Davis, MD,
- Stanley Fowler, MD,
- Kim Bellis, MD,
- Jeffrey Pockl, MD,
- Vytautas al Pakalnis, MD and
- Andrew Woldorf, MD
- From the Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
- Address correspondence to Richard M. Davis, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, 4 Medical Park Dr., Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29203. E-mail: rdavis{at}medpark.sc.edu
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of impairment and blindness in the working population (1), yet little is known about eye examination rates in rural and ethnically diverse communities. We examined a model of health care delivery utilizing telemedicine in a primary care setting to improve retinal examination rates in a rural and ethnically diverse community in South Carolina.
A randomized clinical trial was conducted to formally evaluate the effectiveness of a telemedicine retinal screening program (TRSP) compared with usual …
