Tele-ophthalmology for the treatment in primary care of disorders in the anterior part of the eye

Desktop videoconferencing at 384 kbit/s was used for a trial of tele-ophthalmology consultations between a general practitioner (GP) and an experienced ophthalmologist. Forty-two consecutive patients from St Erik's Eye Hospital emergency ward with disorders in the anterior part of the eye were examined. There was an excellent correlation between the diagnoses made with telemedicine support and those made by the ophthalmologist directly. Subsequently, the GP made 121 eye examinations in two years out of a total of approximately 300-400 examinations at the health-care centre. In the first year the GP examined and treated 45-50% of the cases on his own and 30-50% with telemedicine support. In the second year he treated 55-80% of the cases on his own and 5-35% with telemedicine support. Tele-ophthalmology in primary care appears to be reliable and is likely to be valuable in rural areas, where the distance to an ophthalmologist can be a significant obstacle to satisfactory diagnosis and treatment.