<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The progress of information and communication technologies in the era of COVID-19 created an unprecedented opportunity for medicine to adapt to new models of care. Telemedicine and telehealth have enabled medical care at a distance in various fields, including ophthalmology. <bold>The aim</bold> of this article is to review the current state and the opportunities for telemedicine in ophthalmology.</p>
<sec>
<h3>Materials and methods</h3>
<p>PubMed, ScienceDirect Database, Google Scholar databases, as well as official sites of various governmental and non-governmental institutions were explored. The search was conducted between May 1, 2022 and July 31, 2022 using as key words “teleophthalmology”; “telemedicine/telehealth and ophthalmology”; “ophthalmology and COVID-19”.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>87 primary sources were reviewed. An exploratory analysis of the current state and application of telemedicine in ophthalmology was made.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>A great number of innovations have created an environment allowing for teleophthalmology to flourish, whereas the COVID-19 epidemic has accelerated the development and adoption of these digital technologies. Telemedicine has become an extremely valuable tool during a pandemic, and even if it would never fully replace in the person-to-person patient visits, it certainly has an important role in our dynamic and high-tech world.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

The progress of information and communication technologies in the era of COVID-19 created an unprecedented opportunity for medicine to adapt to new models of care. Telemedicine and telehealth have enabled medical care at a distance in various fields, including ophthalmology. The aim of this article is to review the current state and the opportunities for telemedicine in ophthalmology.

Materials and methods
PubMed, ScienceDirect Database, Google Scholar databases, as well as official sites of various governmental and non-governmental institutions were explored. The search was conducted between May 1, 2022 and July 31, 2022 using as key words “teleophthalmology”; “telemedicine/telehealth and ophthalmology”; “ophthalmology and COVID-19”.


Results
87 primary sources were reviewed. An exploratory analysis of the current state and application of telemedicine in ophthalmology was made.


Conclusion
A great number of innovations have created an environment allowing for teleophthalmology to flourish, whereas the COVID-19 epidemic has accelerated the development and adoption of these digital technologies. Telemedicine has become an extremely valuable tool during a pandemic, and even if it would never fully replace in the person-to-person patient visits, it certainly has an important role in our dynamic and high-tech world.

Telemedicine in Ophthalmology: Lessons from the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

Acta Medica Bulgarica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Telemedicine in Ophthalmology: Lessons from the COVID-19 Era and Beyond"}

The progress of information and communication technologies in the era of COVID-19 created an unprecedented opportunity for medicine to adapt to new models of...

Telemedicine in Ophthalmology: Lessons from the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Mar 22, 2023

Page range: 72 - 76

Received: Sep 26, 2022

Accepted: Nov 06, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amb-2023-0012

© 2023 S. Uzunova et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.