Remote diagnostics of the organ of vision during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: to analyze the effectiveness of remote diagnostics of the visual organ under circumstances of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Material and Methods. A hardware and software complex for digital biomicroscopy of the anterior segment of the eye has been developed. It is a compact, stand-alone device that provides the ability to obtain digital images of the front segment of the eye under standardized lighting conditions, primary processing of the received data and their sending through wireless communication channels. For this, a Wi-Fi router and a 3G router are used. The program part is implemented in the form of a multifunctional site, which has the following sections: ophthalmic care, analysis of the received data and making medical decisions. After fixing the orbital part of the face of the subject with elastic obturators, the lighting system is turned on and the illumination mode is selected: it is possible to use balanced white light, or the use of a red, blue, green light source. An infrared study is possible. Dimming of the room is not required during the study. In a remote use case, the Internet is connected, digital data transmission and voice communication are provided. Results. Remote use of the complex in pandemic conditions allowed a primary assessment of visual organs state of 120 patients with various ophthalmic diseases. A voice channel was used to communicate with the patient. Conclusion. The developed technique, and hardware and software complex provide an opportunity to reduce the risk of spreading infection while maintaining a high level of visual organ diagnostics.