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Images Can Be Just as Good as In-person Evaluations
A recent study found that image-based analysis of eyelid lesions were just as good at determining whether a patient had a cancerous lesion than an in-person consultation with an oculoplastic professional. The study published in Eye involved expert consultant oculoplastic surgeons to determine if an image-based eyelid lesion management service was feasible. This was born by the results in which 100% of the malignancies were identified from the examination of photographs. These images can be taken by clinical photographers or provided by community optometry on referral, reducing the need for unnecessary clinic visits and maximizing the utilization of consultant-led oculoplastic clinics. The diagnostic accuracy of images has been closely linked to image quality in previous studies of burns and dermatological conditions 1, 2 Image-based clinics have been studied in other specialties and deemed appropriate for remote consultation.
Resource management has been a huge issue recently, especially since the start of the SARS-COV2 pandemic. Resources have been stretched over recent years with increasing new patient referrals translating into increased waiting lists for clinic appointments. How can you get more involved in the healthcare process via documentation and telehealth and become a screening tool for your community? Consider adding an Optomed Aurora handheld fundus camera into your clinic for a versatile way to efficiently take posterior or anterior segment photographs.
Please reach out to us anytime, we are always happy to help! Info.us@optomed.com or 844-474-4481.
1. Roa L, Gómez-Cía T, Acha B, Serrano C. Digital imaging in remote diagnosis of burns. Burns 1999;25:617–23.
2. van der Heijden JP, Thijssing L, Witkamp L, Spuls PI, de Keizer NF. Accuracy and reliability of teledermatoscopy with images taken by general practitioners during everyday practice. J Telemed Telecare. 2013;19:320–5.
