New case referrals and follow-up appointments at these eye centres may not be considered urgent or essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and even immediately in the early phases of ‘reopening’. Second, many patients need not be seen at tertiary eye centres. (Image icons extracted and modified from, performed by YCT.) AI, artificial intelligence IOP, intraocular pressure VA, visual acuity. Illustrations of patient journey in the traditional model, its limitations and proposed new digital solutions to alleviate these limitations. All these factors increase exposure and thus the risk of contracting COVID-19, which is now known to spread through asymptomatic carriers (both patients and healthcare providers).

Furthermore, on eventual arrival at tertiary eye clinics, patients would typically further encounter a complicated clinical workflow with long waiting times and multiple preliminary and confirmatory investigations (eg, visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), scans such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual fields (VFs)), resulting in multiple ‘touch points’ and interactions with different providers (ie, optometrists, ophthalmic technicians, nurses, doctors, pharmacists), before being diagnosed and given a management plan. 6įirst, as illustrated in figure 1, in the traditional model, new patients from the community and primary care setting typically have to go through long and convoluted journey before eventually ‘arriving’ at tertiary eye hospitals. 3 5 This traditional ‘physical’ model is not suited for the COVID-19 pandemic and the postpandemic ‘new normal’. 1 3 4 The majority of ophthalmology clinical practices are still operating through a traditional model of ‘brick-and-mortar’ facilities and ‘face-to-face’ patient–physician interaction. While COVID-19 has sparked a surge and expansion of new digital solutions and innovative business models in different industries, 2 healthcare has been slower to adapt to digital solutions. Limitations in current eye care model during the COVID-19 pandemic

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