Objective Culturally relevant education is needed to improve rates of successful kidney transplantation among Hispanic patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study examined whether patients’ knowledge about kidney disease, post-operative care, and proactive health practices improved after watching a telenovela series about ESRD. Design 334 ESRD patients and 94 family members/caregivers were assigned to watch a telenovela (“Fixing Paco,” a bilingual health education film) or receive standard of care at a transplant center or at a dialysis clinic. Outcomes for pre-transplant patients assigned to standard of care at dialysis centers or at a transplant center were compared to pre-transplant patients in the treatment condition (standard of care + telenovela). Results Knowledge and behavioral intention scores at baseline across conditions and locations were similar, suggesting that assignment resulted in comparable groups at baseline. Using linear regression, this study found statistically significant improvements in knowledge scores among the telenovela group as compared to the standard of care groups. The telenovela group also had greater improvements in behavioral intention scores compared to the standard of care groups. Family members assigned to the telenovela group had significant improvements in knowledge scores as compared to the standard of care groups. Conclusion Being well informed about ESRD and adopting proactive health behaviors are important mechanisms in improving transplantation outcomes. These findings suggest that knowledge about kidney disease, post-operative care, and proactive health practices could be improved by viewing a telenovela. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Introduction Glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness, is normally detected in clinic. With technological improvements, tele-glaucoma exams can identify these changes off-site. The quality of tele-glaucoma exams needs to be compared with that of traditional exams. This study’s purpose was to validate the tele-glaucoma programme, which allows a physician comprehensive access to patients’ data, by comparing results to clinical examinations. Methods A prospective study of 107 subjects evaluated in clinic and then tele-glaucoma stations, which consisted of non-mydriatic fundus photography, puff-tonometry, auto-refraction and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The OCT captured central corneal thickness, angle anatomy, cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), retinal nerve fibre layer distribution and posterior-pole ganglion cell complex data. Results Intraocular pressure (IOP) comparisons between clinical and tele-glaucoma exams had strong positive Pearson correlation coefficients (0.8248 OD, 0.8672 OS). Strong positive correlations were seen for CDR (0.7835 OD, 0.8082 OS) as well as diagnosis (glaucoma, no glaucoma or glaucoma suspect). A moderate positive correlation was seen for return to clinic time (RTC). Tele-glaucoma had an average lower RTC (2.7 vs 3.9 months). Tele-glaucoma was more likely to elicit a non-glaucomatous diagnosis not found in clinic vs a diagnosis found only in clinic (18% vs 5% of subjects). Discussion Tele-glaucoma allows for detecting glaucoma remotely. These advancements alleviate patient difficulties with obtaining adequate glaucoma screenings and helps ophthalmologists triage patients with more severe pathology. Our study indicates that our tele-glaucoma protocol is comparable to a clinical exam in its ability to detect glaucoma. Further studies will be needed for off-site testing and transferring data separately for analysis.

Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) is a metabolic disorder affecting 2 per 1000 school-aged children in the United States. 1 With a possible increase in the prevalence of DM1, the pediatric patient population is expected to be at risk for other health care complications. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading complication and cause of blindness in the pediatric population with DM1. The presence of DR has been gradually increasing with a prevalence of 10% to 30% contingent on the study. 2 In patients with DM1 younger than 30 years of age, The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends annual screenings between 3 to 5 years post-diagnosis of disease. 3 The greatest impact on this disease comes from early detection. According to numerous published studies, the use of telemedicine has proved its role as a valid method in diagnosing ocular pathologies. 4 Current imaging modalities, such as spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), have shown morphological changes seen in the retina prior to the loss of visual acuity in the diabetic eye. 5,6 Such pathologies can be associated with known risk factors such as poor glycemic control (HbA1C) and body mass index (BMI). 7 SD-OCT with a resolution of about 5 microns has become a state-of-art technique in the evaluation of diabetic pathology 603371D STXXX10.

Background: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Mellitus is a complex, chronic illness that affects half a million children under the age of 15 years. Complications associated with diabetic retinopathy can be prevented with continued self-management of Blood Glucose (BG) and Blood Pressure (BP) into adulthood. In this case, we present a 20-year-old man with a 15 year history of T1D who loses control of his BG and BP for 2 years. Methods: Blood pressure, visual acuity and intraocular pressures were measured at the time of visit. Non-mydriatic retinal imaging was performed using a Canon CR-2 Plus AF with a resolution of 18 megapixel. A Spectral Domain (SD)-OCT provided a 5 micron resolution of the posterior pole including the macula/fovea. Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) (Optovue, Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) captured 6*6 mm angiograms centered on macula. TeamViewer TM was used to perform remote tele-presence tele-ophthalmology. Results: Color Fundus Photo (CFP) of the subject in 2013 showed few hemorrhages with virtually no signs of retinopathy although his BP, last Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and BG were uncontrolled (130/91 mm Hg, 13+, 421 mg/dL, respectively). Two years later, after 15 years of diabetes, his BP, last HbA1c, and BG are still uncontrolled (142/62 mm Hg, 13.5%, and 319 mg/dL, respectively). CFP and tele-consultation confirms severe Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), after 131 days since last annual eye examination, with 259 retinal hemorrhages and 12 Intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMAs) in his left eye. OCT was normal, but OCTA identified areas of retinal telangiectasia and micro-aneurysm formation. 21 days following NPDR diagnosis, he reduced BP to 122/78 mm Hg, HbA1c to 10%, and BG to 115 mg/dL. CFP showed 80 fewer hemorrhages and 10 IRMAs. 57 days following NPDR diagnosis, subject had BP of 107/72 mm Hg and BG of 124 mg/dL. CFP showed 180 fewer hemorrhages and 13 IRMAs. Conclusions: As BG and BP were decreased and maintained within normal levels, the subject benefited from reduction in retinopathy findings. This case identifies the role non-mydriatic retinal imaging, OCT, and OCTA may play in the assessment and follow-up of patients with long duration type 1 diabetes. Tele-ophthalmology can be an important tool in the follow-up and second opinion of screened patients. An emphasis on BP monitoring can play an important role in the better management of patients with type I diabetes. Close monitoring and maintenance of BP below 130/80, fasting BG under 120 mg/dL, and HbA1c<10% can help reduce NPDR microvascular complications and save vision.

HH SD-OCT may be a feasible alternative to TT SD-OCT in select situations, especially in patients suffering from diabetic complications with limited mobility.