EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1312630
DECEMBER 2020 | EYEWORLD | 129 P Autonomous diagnostics also play into this discussion. IDx-DR (Digital Diagnostics) was FDA approved to screen for diabetic retinopathy and macular edema in April 2018, and EyeArt (Eyenuk) was approved for autonomous detec- tion of diabetic retinopathy in August 2020. "This is important because it's paving the way for other artificial intelligence tools," Dr. Habash said, noting that she also worked with Microsoft to create an algorithm for multiple retinal disease detection autonomously. For such tools to really be adopted to en- hance telehealth offerings and capabilities, Dr. Habash said regulatory issues and reimburse- ment are the major factors. CMS, for example, created a code for autonomous diagnostic reads. Next is evidence. People want to make sure the technology is providing outputs as accurate as their in-office counterparts. "In most cases, it's actually more accurate," Dr. Habash said. "These are big moves for this year. We've never had any of these things or made prog- ress so fast … and to get the government to act, to cover services, to reimburse us for the care we provide, to create new codes, to give breakthrough clearance, these are momentous accomplishments," Dr. Habash said. Michael Singer, MD, discussed various needs for better remote, telehealth visits in ophthalmology as well. He spoke with EyeWorld just as practices were beginning to reopen their doors after the shutdown. Dr. Singer discussed software like myVisionTrack Vision Monitor (Genentech), as well as Verana Vision Test (Verana Health, formerly DigiSight Technologies). These pro- grams have quantitative processes that could help the physician follow the patient over time and, in theory, show progression or any poten- tial vision loss, he said. In terms of apps on mobile devices, Dr. Singer said there are a number of different eye charts, tests for color blindness, and more, but many are more directed toward optometry. These apps, at least, can help establish what the patient is seeing or not seeing, Dr. Singer said. Some technologies are suited for remote examinations but not necessarily home use. For continued on page 130 Injectsense implant, smaller than a grain of rice Source: Injectsense iCare HOME device Source: iCare