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Purpose: This study was conducted to assess patients&apos; outcome and satisfaction with the eye care received with telemedicine and physical consultation at a tertiary care hospital during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out on 6052 patients who consulted for eye illness at a tertiary care hospital between April 2020 and December 2022. An outcome scoring system was developed and validated for the assessment of patient outcome after providing treatment on telemedicine consultation and physical consultation. Outcome scores for various symptoms were compared pretreatment and posttreatment. Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) was used through an online survey to assess patients&apos; satisfaction with teleophthalmology services during the COVID-19 pandemic. An 18-item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) was used to assess the same with physical consultation. Results: A total of 6052 patients were included in the study. Physical consultation group had 2485 patients (41.06%) and the telemedicine group had 3567 patients (58.93%). Male patients constituted 63.11% and females were 36.89%. There was a significant improvement in outcome scores for pain and redness in both physical and telemedicine consultation groups (P < 0.0001). All subgroups of TUQ had significantly high scores (including usefulness, ease of use and learnability, interface quality, interaction quality, and satisfaction and future use), except one subgroup (reliability). Uneducated patients were significantly more satisfied with telemedicine compared to educated patients (P = 0.044). Conclusion: Majority of patients expressed satisfaction with teleophthalmology services. The recent pandemic paved the way for the future integration of telemedicine in ophthalmology, especially if virtual eye examinations attain a higher level of reliability. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, patient&apos;s satisfaction, Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, teleophthalmology, Author(s): Ronak Asodariya [1]; Kavita R Bhatnagar (corresponding author) [1]; Kirti Jaisingh [1]; Manjari Tandon [1]; Latika Pandey [1]; Nikhil Agrawal [1]; Sanjeev Misra [2] The emergence of numerous viral [...]

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and outcome of a real-time retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) telescreening strategy using videoconferencing in a community setting in India. Method: In a prospective study, trained allied ophthalmic personnel obtained the fundus images in the presence of the parents and local childcare providers. Analysis of images and parental counseling were done in real time by an ROP specialist located at a tertiary center using videoconferencing software. A subset of babies was also examined using bedside indirect ophthalmoscopy by an ROP care-trained ophthalmologist. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and correlation coefficient. Results: Over 9 months, we examined 576 babies (1152 eyes) in six rural districts of India. The parents accepted the model as they recognized that a remotely located specialist was evaluating all images in real time. The strategy saved the travel time for ROP specialists by 477 h (47.7 working days) and for parents (47,406 h or 1975.25 days), along with the associated travel cost. In a subgroup analysis (100 babies, 200 eyes), the technology had a high sensitivity (97.2%) and negative predictivity value (92.7%). It showed substantial agreement (k = 0.708) with the bedside indirect ophthalmoscopy by ROP specialists with respect to the detection of treatment warranting ROP. Also, the strategy helped train the participants. Conclusion: Real-time ROP telescreening using videoconferencing is sensitive enough to detect treatment warranting ROPs and saves skilled workforce and time. The real-time audiovisual connection allows optimal supervision of imaging, provides excellent training opportunities, and connects ophthalmologists directly with the parents. Keywords: Real-time ROP telescreening (RRT), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), telemedicine in ROP, telescreening for ROP, videoconferencing, Author(s): Tapas R Padhi (corresponding author) [1]; Souvik Bhunia [1]; Taraprasad Das [2]; Sameer Nayak [1]; Manav Jalan [1]; Suryasnata Rath [1]; Biswajeet Barik [1]; Hasnat Ali [3]; Padmaja Kumari [...]

Byline: Jannet. Philip, Jameel. Hussaindeen, Namita. Jacob, Saranya. Sethuraman, Meenakshi. Swaminathan Purpose: This study utilized virtual focus group discussions to document the facilitators and barriers reported by the parents as [...]

Byline: Deepak. Mishra, Bharat. Gurnani, Kirandeep. Kaur The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has challenged human lives and emerged as a threat to the global community.[1] On the one hand, it [...]

Byline: S. Sood, J. Bhatia Telemedicine has been a technological takeaway for the developed countries. Even in the developing countries, it is increasingly being viewed as a tool for improving [...]