Kristine Kalnica-Dorosenko
MSc, optometrist
Kristine Kalnica-Dorosenko is a new rising professional interested in binocular vision, amblyopia, and vision training. She graduated from the Professional Master’s study program in Optometry in 2018 at the University of Latvia. To improve her knowledge and skills, at present, she is continuing her education as a Ph.D. student working on the evaluation of amblyopia treatment methods, especially, state-of-the-art ones (computer-based games for amblyopia treatment).
Title of presentation
Importance of telemedicine in eyecare
Vision provides more than 80% of the information about our environment. Therefore, it is important to detect and correct eye or vision problems on time, as well as to perform regular control visits. However, the example of COVID-19 showed that it is not always possible to receive an eye specialist consultation in person. An alternative is a so-called telemedicine – the use of transmitted images, voice, and other data to enable consultation, education, and integration in medicine at a distance. It is often not possible to examine patients remotely, so telemedicine is not a substitute for face-to-face consultations. However, in medical specialties that are highly dependent on the study of various images such as dermatology or radiology, telemedicine is an effective tool for providing accurate expert opinions. Ophthalmology and optometry are other fields well suited for telemedicine consultations; especially acute problems in ophthalmology are an area where telemedicine can complement existing specialist services. This facilitates both the patient’s life, as it allows to assess, for example, whether the vision is normal, what anterior disease the patient may have and whether the treatment provides the desired improvement and the work of a vision specialist in cases where it is difficult to organize face-to-face consultation.