Primary glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy screening for underserved populations

Telemedicine can have a significant impact on the health of underserved people, including improved eye care of California residents. Glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy cause most of the preventable blindness in the United States , and early detection and treatment can prevent blindness in up to 90 percent of patients. While many academic and service organizations have undertaken diabetic retinopathy screening using telemedicine, the cost of specialized digital retinal cameras, software, and personnel for performing retinal exams has kept retinopathy detection out of reach for many community clinics. 

UC Berkeley optometry professor Jorge Cuadros has delivered primary retinopathy for over ten years and has developed EyePACS , an open access system for clinical communication in eye care that has been used for teleconsultations, retinopathy screening, home care, education, digital grand rounds, and research with over 14,000 patients.  While EyePACS has made significant cost gains, overall costs must decrease to make current screening models affordable to the large number of smaller clinics.