Comparison of Glaucoma Diagnosis by Telemedicine, In-Person Ophthalmologist, and Optometrist

Prcis: Diagnosis of glaucoma through telemedicine demonstrates moderate agreement with in-person ophthalmologist (MD) and in-person optometrist (OD) diagnosis, providing evidence that telemedicine is a timely, accurate screening method in settings where an in-person visit may not be feasible.

Objective: To compare diagnostic agreement of glaucoma between in-person MD, in-person OD, and a simulated telemedicine program.

Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with normal optic nerve structural and functional imaging and new patients referred for glaucoma evaluation examined in-person by an MD for glaucoma with a dilated examination and structural and functional optic nerve testing (optical coherence tomography, photos, and visual field); examined in person by an OD with a dilated examination and optic nerve testing; and structural and functional optic nerve testing reviewed separately by 2 ophthalmologists [telemedicine ophthalmologist reviewer 1 (TMD1), telemedicine ophthalmologist reviewer 2 (TMD2)] with masking of prior MD and OD diagnoses. Interrater agreement between each diagnostic method (MD, OD, TMD1, and TMD2) of normal versus disease (open angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma, other types of glaucoma, other optic nerve disorders, ocular hypertension, and glaucoma suspect) for each eye was calculated (Cohen unweighted kappa).

Results: A total of 100 patients with a median age of 66 years (interquartile range: 59-72), male (40%) and white (62%) were analyzed. There was moderate agreement between MD and telemedicine [TMD1 kappa 0.49 (95% CI: 0.37-0.61), TMD2 kappa 0.44 (95% CI: 0.32-0.56)] and between MD and OD diagnosis [0.41 (95% CI: 0.28-0.54)] and fair-moderate agreement between OD and telemedicine [TMD1: 0.46 (95% CI: 0.34-0.58), TMD2: 0.61 (95% CI: 0.50-0.72)].

Conclusions: The simulated telemedicine approach had comparable levels of agreement in glaucoma diagnosis with in-person fellowship-trained ophthalmologists, presenting a crucial complementary role in screening and increasing access to care, particularly in rural or underserved settings.