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Tele‐ophthalmology research in post‐phacoemulsification diagnostic outcomes (TORPEDO) study – preliminary results
Author(s) -
YANG FP,
LIM TH
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.s131.x
Subject(s) - phacoemulsification , medicine , ophthalmology , fundus (uterus) , prospective cohort study , intraocular pressure , visual acuity , physical examination , slit lamp , fundus photography , surgery , fluorescein angiography
Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of tele‐medicine in detecting post‐phacoemulsification outcomes and complications at the one‐month post‐operative visit, as compared to a face‐to‐face clinical consultation. Methods A prospective study of 30 patients who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification surgery was conducted. At the one‐month post‐operative visit, patients underwent a novel tele‐medicine work‐flow which included visual acuity testing, refraction, intraocular pressure measurement, and slit‐lamp and fundus photography. Images were read by a masked investigator and the findings compared against those of a face‐to‐face clinical examination, performed at the same visit. Results On clinical examination, corneal and wound‐related complications occurred in 2 patients, anterior chamber inflammation of occasional to 1+ cells was noted in 4 patients and posterior capsular opacification in 1 patient. When compared against the clinical examination findings, tele‐medicine detected corneal and wound‐related complications with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%; anterior chamber inflammation with a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 92.3% and the presence of posterior capsular opacification with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 96.6%. Conclusion Preliminary results suggest that tele‐medicine detects post‐phacoemulsification outcomes and complications with a high level of sensitivity and specificity. It best detects corneal and intraocular lens‐related complications; with a lower sensitivity and specificity in detecting anterior chamber inflammation.