ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Spect is using telemedicine to enable primary care to capture retinal images and thereby increase access to screening for patients at risk of diabetic retinopathy, and in the future, to help first-line clinicians detect signs of other diseases.
Diabetes is pervasive—it affects 10.5% of the population in the US—and so are its complications. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults. Patients with diabetes should visit the ophthalmologist to be screened annually for the signs of diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness if not diagnosed and treated early. Unfortunately, only 50% of the 27 million people with diabetes undergo annual eye screenings.
