The era of automated systems to facilitate health care

Abstract

In this issue, Ludwig et al provide a brief overview of the existing technologies available to aid automated diagnostic and referral in the field of the ophthalmology. The authors provide a summary of a potential pathway for automated ophthalmic care through the use of mobile diagnostic devices that can facilitate image collection. The first step in the clinical algorithm is safe and accurate image capturing technologies. The authors highlight examples of mobile diagnostic adapters developed by the Peek Vision group (UK), D-eye system (Italy), and iExaminer (Welch Allyn) which convert the modern smartphone into an anterior and posterior segment image capturing device. These images can then be collated, filtered for quality, and interpreted by automated software and results can, in theory, be graded in real-time to provide risk stratification and triaging of patients.