Remote Comprehensive Eye Examination System

• US 20180070820A1
• Filed: 09/08/2017
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digitaloptometrics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Digitaloptometrics, LLC
• Inventors: Fried, Howard S., Fried, Burton T., Schaeffer, Kurt, Van Cleave, William K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,980,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0285 Phoropters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/18 Arrangement of plural eye-testing or -examining apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

An ophthalmic technician is present with a patient in an exam room to operate eye examination equipment and transmit patient information to remote location. At that remote location, a skilled technician is present to provide the necessary optical care, and may operate the phoropter from the remote location. Using video and/or teleconferencing equipment and a phoropter located in the patient examination room along with management software, the system works to determine the final optical prescription for the patient. That information, coupled with findings from other devices which are integrated with the management software, and that the patient uses locally, are reviewed by a remote-based optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assigning a patient to a local eyecare technician, wherein the patient and the local eyecare technician are located at a local diagnostic center;

assigning, by the local eyecare technician, the patient to a remote eyecare technician, wherein the remote eyecare technician is located at a remote diagnostic center;

collecting, by the local eyecare technician, medical history for the patient;

administering, by the local eyecare technician, pre-refraction tests on the patient to produce pre-refraction results for the patient;

transmitting the medical history for the patient and the pre-refraction results for the patient to the remote eyecare technician;

administering, by the remote eyecare technician, refraction tests on the patient to produce refraction results for the patient; and

transmitting to an eyecare doctor the medical history for the patient, the pre-refraction results for the patient and the refraction tests for the patient.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the eyecare doctor, the remote technician and the local technicians are in different locations.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the process of administering, by the remote eyecare technician, refraction tests on the patient to produce refraction results for the patient involves the use of a remotely-controlled phoropter and videoconferencing.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the refraction tests comprise a normal visual acuity test and a subjective distance vision refraction test.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein the refraction tests further comprises a subjective near vision refraction test.

6. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

reviewing, by the eyecare doctor, the medical history for the patient, the pre-refraction results for the patient and the refraction tests for the patient.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the process of reviewing, by the eyecare doctor, the medical history for the patient, the pre-refraction results for the patient and the refraction tests for the patient involves the use of a remotely-controlled phoropter and videoconferencing by the eyecare doctor.

8. The method as in claim 7 wherein if the process of reviewing, by the eyecare doctor, the medical history for the patient, the pre-refraction results for the patient and the refraction tests for the patient by the eyecare doctor involves contact lenses, instructing the local technician and the patient to try on trial contact lenses.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

collecting, by the local technician, slit lamp images from the patient with the trial contact lenses in place; and

transmitting the slit lamp images to the eyecare doctor.

10. The method as in claim 7, further comprising:

issuing, by the eyecare doctor, an eye-related prescription for the patient.

11. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

printing the eye-related prescription for the patient to the patient at the local diagnostic center.

12. A system for providing eye health and vision examinations, comprising:

a diagnostic center including ophthalmic equipment comprising a set of instruments that are utilized in administering eye examinations and being coupled to an equipment controller that is configured to receive instructions for controlling the ophthalmic equipment, wherein the diagnostic center is configured to;

in response to receiving a request from the diagnostic center, select a subset of remote technicians to administer an eye examination based, at least in part, on analyzing availability data to identify at least one remote technicians who are logged into the web-based platform and not currently providing real-time eye examinations;

transmit requests over a network to a select remote technician to administer the eye examination in real-time for a patient located at the diagnostic center;

receive instructions over the network to permit the remote technician to control operation of the ophthalmic equipment at the diagnostic center from a remote location in order to administer at least one test pertaining to the eye examination;

generate patient examination data pertaining to the at least one test administered using the ophthalmic equipment;

in response to receiving the requests from the diagnostic centers, select a subset of eyecare doctors to review the eye examinations based, at least in part, on analyzing the availability data to identify at least one eyecare doctor who are logged into the web-based platform and not currently providing real-time eye examinations;

transmit requests over a network to a select eyecare doctor to review the eye examination in real-time for the patient located at the diagnostic center; and

receive instructions over the network to permit the eyecare doctor to control operation of the ophthalmic equipment at the diagnostic center from a remote location in order to review the at least one test pertaining to the eye examination; and

review the patient examination data pertaining to the at least one test administered using the ophthalmic equipment;

wherein the eyecare doctor, the remote technician and the patient are in different locations.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein the at least one test pertaining to the eye examination comprise a pinhole visual acuity test, a normal visual acuity test, a subjective distance vision refraction test.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the at least one test pertaining to the eye examination further comprises a subjective near vision refraction test.

15. The system as in claim 12 wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

if the patient examination data includes patient examination data related to contact lenses, instruct the patient to try on trial contact lenses.

16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

obtain slit lamp images from the patient with the trial contact lenses in place and transmit the slit lamp images to the eyecare doctor.

17. The system as in claim 12, wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

transmit an eye-related prescription from the eyecare doctor for the patient.

18. The system as in claim 12, wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

print the eye-related prescription for the patient at the diagnostic center.

19. The system as in claim 12, wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

administer access to the network for the patient, the remote technician and the eyecare doctor.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein the diagnostic center is further configured to:

store the patient examination data in an electronic medical records-based protocol.