A Marine Corps veteran one of 75 million Americans who is at risk for diabetic retinopathy lives in Baxter Springs, Kansas and drove 60 miles from his home to the Vinita VA Outpatient Clinic in neighboring Oklahoma to get a teleretinal imaging screening.
At the clinic the teleretinal imaging technician used a special camera to take picture of his eyes and then sent the photos to a teleretinal imaging reading center at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, Arkansas where they studied the images to determine if the veteran would need a follow-up appointment with a VA optometrist.
The imaging technician is trained to notice abnormalities when giving the eye screening and she noticed when doing the screening that there was an abnormality. A few weeks prior to the Marine Corps veteran’s appointment, he had open heart surgery at a local private hospital.
While the surgery was successful, a piece of plaque had become dislodged from his heart and traveled to his eye so at that point, he was sent to his doctors for further evaluation. The fact that he had heart surgery and that the technician could see an abnormality proved to be important information in making a diagnosis.
The VA is also using teleretinal imaging to help veterans in many other parts of the country. The VA’s Sunshine Healthcare Network covers Florida, South Georgia, and the Caribbean routinely screens patients with diabetes and possibly diabetic retinopathy. So far, this network has 26 digital retinal cameras installed in large hospitals, community-based outpatient clinics, and rural settings. Through June 2013, network providers have screened 7,413 patients and by the end of 2013, all network facilities are expected to be participating.
In summing up the teleretinal program, the VA has found that the use of teleretinal imaging does not replace a full eye exam and is not suitable for people that already have complications of diabetes, but it does mean that people at risk of eye problems from diabetes can be assessed easily and conveniently in a local setting.