Synchronous Engagement Remote Optometry- SERO: Tele-refraction platform to enable optometrists to interact with patients, test vision and prescribe correction remotely

IbisVision由一名来自阿伯丁的眼科医生创立，成立于2013年，旨在完成一套基于计算机的工具的开发和商业化，这些工具由安全数据库和基于云的患者管理系统提供支持。目的是通过使用熟悉的计算机和简单的输入，使验光师和患者的眼睛检查更容易、更直观。我们正在继续改进系统，现在包括视野，色彩视觉和阿姆斯勒网格测试。冠状病毒大流行突显出，在保持社交距离的情况下，不可能进行常规眼科检查，开出眼镜或隐形眼镜的处方，在撰写本文时，这些检查已完全暂停。这个应用程序是一项可行性研究，旨在探索是否可以通过验光师在他们的诊室远程进行眼科检查，而患者可以在其他地方（可能在家里）用笔记本电脑进行检查。以前也有人尝试过这种方法，成败参半，而且总是试图开发自动自我测试软件，绕过验光师，因此他们的技能和经验会实时丢失。我们的提议是高度创新的，因为我们希望保留验光师，并提供一种方法，让他们与患者远程实时互动，使用一套完全集成的测试来评估患者的视力，并开具正确的镜片来纠正任何近视、远视或散光。这是一项具有挑战性的任务，但我们将与一家大型验光连锁店密切合作，研究实现这一目标的三种可能方法的可行性。如果成功，我们的产品将使视力测试和购买新眼镜在随后的封锁事件中具有很强的弹性，并帮助验光行业更好地重建，并在不增加碳足迹的情况下在正常的物理集水区之外竞争（绿色增长）。从患者的角度来看，他们是在对一个实时进行测试并对结果负责的真人做出反应。这种个人互动和将责任交给验光师比纯粹的技术互动和放弃对测试和结果的责任给病人自己有心理健康益处。此外，由于人们不必长途跋涉去做眼科检查，我们可以为每位患者节省大约三次路程，这有助于我们实现净零碳经济的愿望。

IbisVision was founded by an eye surgeon from Aberdeen and was established in 2013 to complete the development and commercialisation of a suite of computer-based tools backed up by a secure database and cloud-based patient management system. The objective was to make eye testing easier and more intuitive for both the optometrist and the patient by using the familiarity of a computer and simple inputs. We are continuing to improve the system which now includes visual field, colour vision and the Amsler grid test. The corona virus pandemic has highlighted that routine eye tests to prescribe glasses or contact lenses are impossible with social distancing and, at the time of writing are suspended completely. This application is a feasibility study to explore whether eye tests to prescribe corrective lenses can be done remotely with the optometrist in their consulting room and the patient somewhere else, maybe at home, with a laptop. This has been attempted before with mixed success and always by trying to develop automatic self-testing software that by-passes the optometrist and thus their skill and experience is lost in real-time. Our proposal is highly innovative because we want to keep the optometrist and provide a means for them to interact with the patient remotely in real-time using a fully integrated suite of tests to assess the person's vision and prescribe the correct lenses to correct any near- or farsightedness or astigmatism. This is a challenging undertaking but we will work closely with a large optometry chain to look at the feasibility of three possible ways of achieving it. If successful our product will make eye-testing and getting new glasses highly resilient to subsequent lockdown events and help the optometry sector build back better and compete outside their normal physical catchment area without increasing their carbon-footprint (Green Growth). From the patient's perspective they are responding to a real person in real-time who is conducting the test and taking responsibility for the outcome. This personal interaction and surrender of responsibility to the optometrist has mental health benefits over a purely technical interaction with abdication of responsibility for testing and outcome onto the patient themselves. Also, because people will not have to travel to get their eyes tested, we are saving about three journeys per patient which contributes to our aspiration towards a net zero carbon economy.