Interactive Case: Screening for Disease Based on Presenting Symptoms

Telemedicine in ophthalmology was initially directed at improved screening for sight-threatening disease in at risk populations, e.g., retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy. More recently, fundus photography has been applied to patients with general medical complaints, such as headache and hypertension, to evaluate for findings indicative of more severe, and in some cases life-threatening, illness. A case is presented to illustrate the tele-medical use of fundus photography in the evaluation a headache patient presenting to the emergency department (ED).