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Telemedicine in Retinopathy of Prematurity

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A Quick Guide to Pediatric Retina

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Abstract

Telemedicine has been used worldwide in several medical specialties including Ophthalmology. However, its use in infant eye screening especially for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) has been more limited. Ironically, it is for this disease entity wherein telemedicine promises possibly the highest benefit. A short time window of screening, a standard classification of the disease, specially designed infant retinal cameras and lossless image transfer tools make this feasible. Furthermore, the lack of trained experts and the large number of infants that require screening in the outreach make “tele-ROP” an attractive prospect. Yet, its relatively poor adoption can be attributed to several real-world challenges like the cost of the technology, cost of implementation, cost benefit, and medicolegal concerns. Drawing from the experience of over 150,000 infant screening sessions in the “KIDROP- Tele-ROP” program in India, this chapter addresses these challenges and suggests possible solutions for a wider expansion.

Authors have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Retina, Narayana Nethralaya Eye Institute, Bangalore, India

    Anand Vinekar & Shivani Sinha

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  1. Anand Vinekar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Wei-Chi Wu

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Wai-Ching Lam

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Vinekar, A., Sinha, S. (2021). Telemedicine in Retinopathy of Prematurity. In: Wu, WC., Lam, WC. (eds) A Quick Guide to Pediatric Retina. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6552-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6552-6_8

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