Pub Date : 2024-03-08eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2147/OPTO.S465922
Mahdi Sadeghi, Sabrina Shahid
{"title":"Barriers to the Diagnosis and Management of Keratoconus Among Optometrists in Kenya [Letter].","authors":"Mahdi Sadeghi, Sabrina Shahid","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S465922","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S465922","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"89-90"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10929643/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140111752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2147/OPTO.S463864
Catherine Scheuer, Vicki L Barniak, Nitasha R Phatak, Marjorie J Rah, William Reindel
{"title":"Effect of Contact Lens Solutions in Stabilizing the Activity of Tear Lysozyme [Response to Letter].","authors":"Catherine Scheuer, Vicki L Barniak, Nitasha R Phatak, Marjorie J Rah, William Reindel","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S463864","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S463864","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"81-82"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10913791/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140040538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: Early diagnosis and management of keratoconus (KC) are important for limiting visual complications of the disease. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of optometrists on the barriers to effective diagnosis and management of KC in Kenya.
Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to optometrists in Kenya to collect data on barriers to the diagnosis and management of KC.
Results: The majority (60.9%) of optometrists were confident in retinoscopy and subjective refraction. Fewer were confident in the use of keratometers (46.4%) and corneal topographers (24.9%) and in the fitting of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses (25.0%). The most commonly reported barriers to improving their knowledge and skills were, limited continuous professional development opportunities (87.4%), high costs of conferences (86.1%) and the lack of diagnostic tools (79.5%). Impediments cited to diagnosing and managing KC effectively were a lack of national guidelines (64.9%), patient education material (71.5%), equipment (58.9%) and RGP supply (68.2%) and cost (67.5%). Most commonly reported barriers related to patients were compliance (91.4%), affordability (90.7%), RGP discomfort (89.4%), willingness to pay (88.1%) and the lack of patient education about KC (87.4%).
Conclusion: This study showed that the lack of national guidelines, essential equipment and adequate practitioner knowledge and skills were barriers to KC diagnosis and management. Regulation of optometric education and clinical practice, development of national guidelines for diagnosis and management of KC, up-skilling of practitioners and cost-effective solutions for equipment procurement and maintenance may improve both access to, and quality of, care to patients with KC.
{"title":"Barriers to the Diagnosis and Management of Keratoconus Among Optometrists in Kenya.","authors":"Zahra Aly Rashid, Vanessa Raquel Moodley, Khathutshelo Percy Mashige, Kingsley Emwinyore Agho","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S446599","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S446599","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early diagnosis and management of keratoconus (KC) are important for limiting visual complications of the disease. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of optometrists on the barriers to effective diagnosis and management of KC in Kenya.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online questionnaire was distributed to optometrists in Kenya to collect data on barriers to the diagnosis and management of KC.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The majority (60.9%) of optometrists were confident in retinoscopy and subjective refraction. Fewer were confident in the use of keratometers (46.4%) and corneal topographers (24.9%) and in the fitting of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses (25.0%). The most commonly reported barriers to improving their knowledge and skills were, limited continuous professional development opportunities (87.4%), high costs of conferences (86.1%) and the lack of diagnostic tools (79.5%). Impediments cited to diagnosing and managing KC effectively were a lack of national guidelines (64.9%), patient education material (71.5%), equipment (58.9%) and RGP supply (68.2%) and cost (67.5%). Most commonly reported barriers related to patients were compliance (91.4%), affordability (90.7%), RGP discomfort (89.4%), willingness to pay (88.1%) and the lack of patient education about KC (87.4%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed that the lack of national guidelines, essential equipment and adequate practitioner knowledge and skills were barriers to KC diagnosis and management. Regulation of optometric education and clinical practice, development of national guidelines for diagnosis and management of KC, up-skilling of practitioners and cost-effective solutions for equipment procurement and maintenance may improve both access to, and quality of, care to patients with KC.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"71-79"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10898358/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139984142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-22eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2147/OPTO.S446717
Anna Maria Comberiati, Chiara Lomartire, Mariaelena Malvasi, Raffaele Migliorini, Fernanda Pacella, Vito Maurizio Malvasi, Paolo Turchetti, Elena Pacella
Purpose: To evaluate ocular motility (OM) disorders and strabismus in a sample of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and a control sample.
Methods: In this cross-sectional retrospective analysis, we studied a sample of RP patients with a mean age of 48.74 years and an average visual acuity of 7/10 based on Snellen optotype and a sample of control patients with similar mean age (49 years [men], 47 years [women]) and sex and an average visual acuity of 9.9/10, with the aim of assessing correlations between alteration of OM and strabismus in RP patients based on age, high refractive defect, or severely impaired binocular vision. The examination followed a protocol of testing for anamnesis and best-corrected visual acuity, as well as a complete eye examination, corneal reflex, cover test, OM, Hess screen, and Lang test.
Results: At the first orthoptic evaluation, 45.16% of patients showed strabismus, 41.93% exotropia (25% of cases intermittent), 3.22% esotropia, and 6.45% vertical deviation. Later evaluation showed strabismus in 25.80% of patients, exotropia in 19.35% (9.67% intermittent), esotropia in 3.22%, and vertical deviation in 3.22%. Assessment of eye motility study showed 51.6% overaction of the inferior oblique and hypofunction of the superior rectus, and 18% overaction of the lateral rectus and hypofunction of the medial rectus. According to our results, alterations in OM and strabismus in RP patients are not correlated with age or high refractive defect. Therefore, motility disorders and strabismus are attributed to a genetic factor to which men are more susceptible.
Conclusion: The incidence of OM disorder was 77.42%, and strabismus was present in 45.16% of patients.
{"title":"Alteration Ocular Motility in Retinitis Pigmentosa: Case-Control Study.","authors":"Anna Maria Comberiati, Chiara Lomartire, Mariaelena Malvasi, Raffaele Migliorini, Fernanda Pacella, Vito Maurizio Malvasi, Paolo Turchetti, Elena Pacella","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S446717","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S446717","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To evaluate ocular motility (OM) disorders and strabismus in a sample of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and a control sample.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional retrospective analysis, we studied a sample of RP patients with a mean age of 48.74 years and an average visual acuity of 7/10 based on Snellen optotype and a sample of control patients with similar mean age (49 years [men], 47 years [women]) and sex and an average visual acuity of 9.9/10, with the aim of assessing correlations between alteration of OM and strabismus in RP patients based on age, high refractive defect, or severely impaired binocular vision. The examination followed a protocol of testing for anamnesis and best-corrected visual acuity, as well as a complete eye examination, corneal reflex, cover test, OM, Hess screen, and Lang test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the first orthoptic evaluation, 45.16% of patients showed strabismus, 41.93% exotropia (25% of cases intermittent), 3.22% esotropia, and 6.45% vertical deviation. Later evaluation showed strabismus in 25.80% of patients, exotropia in 19.35% (9.67% intermittent), esotropia in 3.22%, and vertical deviation in 3.22%. Assessment of eye motility study showed 51.6% overaction of the inferior oblique and hypofunction of the superior rectus, and 18% overaction of the lateral rectus and hypofunction of the medial rectus. According to our results, alterations in OM and strabismus in RP patients are not correlated with age or high refractive defect. Therefore, motility disorders and strabismus are attributed to a genetic factor to which men are more susceptible.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The incidence of OM disorder was 77.42%, and strabismus was present in 45.16% of patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"55-69"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10895995/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139973863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-20eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2147/OPTO.S432496
Fatin Nur Najwa Norazman, Bariah Mohd-Ali, Syarifah Faiza Syed Mohd Dardin, Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin, Norliza Mohamad Fadzil, Mohd Norhafizun Mohd Saman, Norhani Mohidin
Myopia control lenses have been shown to modify visual function; however, it is arguable if these changes are short-term or long-term. We investigated the changes in accommodative behaviour and binocular vision functions of Malay myopic children who participated in a myopia control trial utilising spectacle lenses (n = 40). This article presents baseline accommodation and binocular vision measurements. The mean (± SD) age, spherical equivalent measured by cycloplegic autorefraction, and axial length (AL) for the right eyes were 10.00 ± 1.47 years, -3.02 ± 1.20 D, and 24.42 ± 0.93 mm, respectively. All participants had good distance and near visual acuities with high-contrast charts (100%), which were significantly better than low-contrast charts (10%) (p < 0.001). The mean (± SD) accommodative lag at baseline was 1.14 ± 0.35 D, while monocular and binocular accommodative amplitudes were 15.35 ± 2.07 D and 16.82 ± 2.27 D, respectively. Malay schoolchildren in this study were more esophoric at near compared to distance, with an accommodative-convergence over accommodation (AC/A) ratio of 5.64 ± 0.66 ∆/D. A higher degree of myopia was found to be associated with a longer AL (r = -0.49, p < 0.05) and higher esophoria at near (r = -0.46, p < 0.05). These baseline measures are consistent with data from other studies showing that myopic children have a high accommodative lag, an elevated AC/A ratio, a longer AL, and are more esophoric at near. The measures reported herein will serve as a basis for examining changes that occur within 12 months of wearing myopia control spectacle lenses.
{"title":"Baseline Accommodation and Binocular Vision Measures in Malay Schoolchildren Enrolled in the Myopia Control Study Using Spectacle Lenses in Kuala Lumpur.","authors":"Fatin Nur Najwa Norazman, Bariah Mohd-Ali, Syarifah Faiza Syed Mohd Dardin, Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin, Norliza Mohamad Fadzil, Mohd Norhafizun Mohd Saman, Norhani Mohidin","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S432496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S432496","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Myopia control lenses have been shown to modify visual function; however, it is arguable if these changes are short-term or long-term. We investigated the changes in accommodative behaviour and binocular vision functions of Malay myopic children who participated in a myopia control trial utilising spectacle lenses (n = 40). This article presents baseline accommodation and binocular vision measurements. The mean (± SD) age, spherical equivalent measured by cycloplegic autorefraction, and axial length (AL) for the right eyes were 10.00 ± 1.47 years, -3.02 ± 1.20 D, and 24.42 ± 0.93 mm, respectively. All participants had good distance and near visual acuities with high-contrast charts (100%), which were significantly better than low-contrast charts (10%) (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The mean (± SD) accommodative lag at baseline was 1.14 ± 0.35 D, while monocular and binocular accommodative amplitudes were 15.35 ± 2.07 D and 16.82 ± 2.27 D, respectively. Malay schoolchildren in this study were more esophoric at near compared to distance, with an accommodative-convergence over accommodation (AC/A) ratio of 5.64 ± 0.66 ∆/D. A higher degree of myopia was found to be associated with a longer AL (<i>r</i> = -0.49, <i>p</i> < 0.05) and higher esophoria at near (<i>r</i> = -0.46, <i>p</i> < 0.05). These baseline measures are consistent with data from other studies showing that myopic children have a high accommodative lag, an elevated AC/A ratio, a longer AL, and are more esophoric at near. The measures reported herein will serve as a basis for examining changes that occur within 12 months of wearing myopia control spectacle lenses.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"45-52"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10893784/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139973864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Purpose: To investigate changes in peripheral eye length (PEL) in myopic children undergoing orthokeratology (Ortho-K) treatment for 12 months using MRI. The results were compared to single vision spectacle wearers (SVS).
Patients and methods: A total of 70 children with myopia (aged 8-9 years old) were recruited. A total of 45 children were fitted with Ortho-K, and 25 were fitted with SVS. The PEL and axial length (AL) were measured by using MRI 3-Tesla, whereas central and peripheral refraction (PR) measurements were conducted at ±30 degrees horizontally with nasal (N) and temporal (T) intervals of 10°, 20°, and 30° and with an open field autorefractometer (WAM-5500 Grand Seiko). All the measurements were conducted at the baseline and 12 months.
Results: The MRI analysis indicates that at 12 months, the SVS group showed more elongation of the PEL and AL at all eccentricities than the Ortho-K group did (p < 0.05). The Ortho-K group only showed significant PEL elongation beyond 20 degrees at N20, N30, T20, and T30 (p < 0.05); however, a significant reduction in the AL was detected in the center AL, N10, and T10 (p < 0.05). All eccentricities in the relative PR of the Ortho-K group were significantly more myopic than at the baseline (p < 0.05), whereas in the SVS group, all eccentricities in the relative PR were shown to be significantly more hyperopic than at the baseline (p < 0.05). The PEL and PR showed negative correlations at 12 months in the Ortho-K group.
Conclusion: MRI analysis can be utilized to describe changes in PEL in myopic children. It appears that as myopia progressed in Ortho-K lens wearers, the PEL increased by a greater amount than the AL did; thus, the retina was reshaped to become increasingly oblate and to display peripheral myopic defocus.
{"title":"Peripheral Eye Length Evaluation in Myopic Children Undergoing Orthokeratology Treatment for 12 Months Using MRI.","authors":"Yu Chen Low, Bariah Mohd-Ali, Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin, Norhani Mohidin, Hamzaini Abdul-Hamid, Siti Salasiah Mokri","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S448815","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S448815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate changes in peripheral eye length (PEL) in myopic children undergoing orthokeratology (Ortho-K) treatment for 12 months using MRI. The results were compared to single vision spectacle wearers (SVS).</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>A total of 70 children with myopia (aged 8-9 years old) were recruited. A total of 45 children were fitted with Ortho-K, and 25 were fitted with SVS. The PEL and axial length (AL) were measured by using MRI 3-Tesla, whereas central and peripheral refraction (PR) measurements were conducted at ±30 degrees horizontally with nasal (N) and temporal (T) intervals of 10°, 20°, and 30° and with an open field autorefractometer (WAM-5500 Grand Seiko). All the measurements were conducted at the baseline and 12 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The MRI analysis indicates that at 12 months, the SVS group showed more elongation of the PEL and AL at all eccentricities than the Ortho-K group did (p < 0.05). The Ortho-K group only showed significant PEL elongation beyond 20 degrees at N20, N30, T20, and T30 (p < 0.05); however, a significant reduction in the AL was detected in the center AL, N10, and T10 (p < 0.05). All eccentricities in the relative PR of the Ortho-K group were significantly more myopic than at the baseline (p < 0.05), whereas in the SVS group, all eccentricities in the relative PR were shown to be significantly more hyperopic than at the baseline (p < 0.05). The PEL and PR showed negative correlations at 12 months in the Ortho-K group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>MRI analysis can be utilized to describe changes in PEL in myopic children. It appears that as myopia progressed in Ortho-K lens wearers, the PEL increased by a greater amount than the AL did; thus, the retina was reshaped to become increasingly oblate and to display peripheral myopic defocus.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"35-44"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10863466/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139730709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-25eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.2147/OPTO.S459130
Silvia Tavazzi, Natalia Vlasak, Fabrizio Zeri
{"title":"Effects of Lens-Induced Astigmatism at Near and Far Distances [Response to Letter].","authors":"Silvia Tavazzi, Natalia Vlasak, Fabrizio Zeri","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S459130","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S459130","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"33-34"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10823867/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139576771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Lens-Induced Astigmatism at Near and Far Distances [Letter].","authors":"Suraj Kumar Chaurasiya, Anil Ramesh Yadav, Firdoos Jaman, Mahendra Singh","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S457870","DOIUrl":"10.2147/OPTO.S457870","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"16 ","pages":"31-32"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139479554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Proper access to primary eye care is essential in addressing vision impairment, and tele-eye care examinations are a promising solution that could facilitate this access in many rural or remote areas. Even though remote eye exams are becoming increasingly frequent, comprehensive tele-eye care exams are still limited by the lack of published data. The aim of this study is to compare a comprehensive tele-eye care exam with a gold standard in-person primary eye care exam with an emphasis on refractive measurements, ocular health assessment, confidence level of the eye care providers and patient satisfaction. Methods: Sixty-six participants underwent two comprehensive eye exams performed by two eye care providers. One was a gold standard in-person exam, while the other was a remote exam performed by an eye care provider through videoconference. An overall patient satisfaction survey and a questionnaire for visual comfort with a trial frame from each modality were completed and the eye care providers scored their confidence level for each test. Exam results and diagnoses were compared between both modalities. Results: Tele-refraction has a good to excellent agreement with in-person subjective refraction in terms of sphero-cylindrical power and best corrected visual acuity. There was no statistically significant difference for visual comfort between both modalities. The agreement between in-person and remote exams for ocular health assessment ranged from fair to almost perfect, but there was a low prevalence of ocular pathologies within the study sample. The confidence level of the eye care providers and patient satisfaction were statistically higher in-person. Conclusion: Tele-eye care appears to be statistically and clinically non-inferior to in-person eye exams, especially for refraction, but the low prevalence of ocular pathologies somewhat limits the comparison of its efficacy for ocular health assessment. More studies on comprehensive tele-eye care exams are needed.
{"title":"Comprehensive Primary Eye Care: A Comparison Between an In-Person Eye Exam and a Tele-Eye Care Exam","authors":"Nicolas Blais, B. Tousignant, Jean-Marie Hanssens","doi":"10.2147/opto.s436659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/opto.s436659","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Proper access to primary eye care is essential in addressing vision impairment, and tele-eye care examinations are a promising solution that could facilitate this access in many rural or remote areas. Even though remote eye exams are becoming increasingly frequent, comprehensive tele-eye care exams are still limited by the lack of published data. The aim of this study is to compare a comprehensive tele-eye care exam with a gold standard in-person primary eye care exam with an emphasis on refractive measurements, ocular health assessment, confidence level of the eye care providers and patient satisfaction. Methods: Sixty-six participants underwent two comprehensive eye exams performed by two eye care providers. One was a gold standard in-person exam, while the other was a remote exam performed by an eye care provider through videoconference. An overall patient satisfaction survey and a questionnaire for visual comfort with a trial frame from each modality were completed and the eye care providers scored their confidence level for each test. Exam results and diagnoses were compared between both modalities. Results: Tele-refraction has a good to excellent agreement with in-person subjective refraction in terms of sphero-cylindrical power and best corrected visual acuity. There was no statistically significant difference for visual comfort between both modalities. The agreement between in-person and remote exams for ocular health assessment ranged from fair to almost perfect, but there was a low prevalence of ocular pathologies within the study sample. The confidence level of the eye care providers and patient satisfaction were statistically higher in-person. Conclusion: Tele-eye care appears to be statistically and clinically non-inferior to in-person eye exams, especially for refraction, but the low prevalence of ocular pathologies somewhat limits the comparison of its efficacy for ocular health assessment. More studies on comprehensive tele-eye care exams are needed.","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"8 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139394282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}