My Experience with Telemedicine

Ophthalmology is a field of medicine that is heavily reliant on very special exams and testing. So, at first glance, it doesn’t seem like that much would be possible with a telemedicine visit, which is basically a video chat. In general, I think that is a reasonable objection to telemedicine, and once the world returns to “normal,” the best evaluation would definitely be an in-person evaluation. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the advice to stay at home as much as possible must be weighed against the need to have an in-person exam. In that regard, I have found it pretty useful to do telemedicine visits with patients, because it has allowed me an increased capacity to assess some patients who I have determined do not need to take the risk of coming to see me in person. So it helps us with our new mantra: stay home and stay safe!