Brien Holden Institute of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Cornea Institute, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Indian J Ophthalmol. 2022 Jun;70(6):2125-2130. doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_3085_21.
To assess the feasibility of measuring patients' visual acuity (VA) in their homes by their caregivers.
Patients consulting in a tertiary eye care institute were prospectively enrolled with informed consent. All underwent standard COMPlog distance VA testing. Patients and caregivers were oriented to test distance VA using the Peek Acuity app. The app was installed on the caregiver's or patient's smartphone. The patient's VA was measured by the caregiver in the clinic (baseline value) under supervision. After 1 week, the caregivers recorded the patient's VA with the Peek Acuity app at their home and reported the value in a telephone consultation. A questionnaire to assess the ease of using the app was administered at both the baseline visit and 1 week later.
A total of 100 patients (age group: 13 to 76 years) and 100 caregivers (age group: 17 to 65 years) participated. VA measurements with the Peek Acuity app were comparable with COMPlog (P > 0.1) both during the baseline and after 1-week measurement, regardless of the underlying ocular condition or educational level of the caregivers/patients. Most caregivers (95%) felt the app was easy to use.
Though the Peek Acuity app was originally developed for health care workers to be used in field visits, we found that with proper orientation, the layperson can also use it. Such orientation can enable caregivers to effectively measure VA at home. Such a tool would enhance teleophthalmology consultations and can minimize the need for short follow-up visits.
评估由患者照顾者在家中测量患者视力（VA）的可行性。
前瞻性地招募在一家三级眼科保健机构就诊的患者，并获得其知情同意。所有患者均接受标准 COMPlog 远距 VA 测试。向患者及其照顾者介绍使用 Peek Acuity 应用程序测试远距 VA。将该应用程序安装在照顾者或患者的智能手机上。在诊所中，由照顾者在监督下测量患者的 VA（基线值）。一周后，照顾者使用 Peek Acuity 应用在家中记录患者的 VA，并在电话咨询中报告该值。在基线就诊和一周后，分别使用一份问卷评估使用该应用程序的难易程度。
共有 100 名患者（年龄组：13 至 76 岁）和 100 名照顾者（年龄组：17 至 65 岁）参与了研究。无论照顾者/患者的眼部状况或教育水平如何，使用 Peek Acuity 应用程序测量的 VA 与 COMPlog 在基线和一周后测量时均具有可比性（P＞0.1）。大多数照顾者（95％）认为该应用程序易于使用。
尽管 Peek Acuity 应用程序最初是为保健工作者在现场访问中使用而开发的，但我们发现，经过适当的指导，非专业人员也可以使用它。这种指导可以使照顾者能够在家中有效地测量 VA。这种工具将增强远程眼科咨询，并可以最大程度地减少对短期随访的需求。
