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For Those on the Go: The EyeRoute Ophthalmic Image Management System

LESLIE GOLDBERG, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Topcon's EyeRoute system is an ophthalmic image management platform that integrates images and reports from all types of ophthalmic instruments into a single, secure digital environment accessible via a Web browser or any 3G-compatible handheld device.

EyeRoute enables physicians to have instant access to their clinical reports, data, and images from anywhere in the world. EyeRoute integrates information from a multitude of ophthalmic instruments and devices into a single, secure environment. It enables doctors to view, organize, edit, and transport the information and images as they follow a patient's care.

PHYSICIAN FEEDBACK

Dave Wilson, MD, director of the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, OR, is a fan of the EyeRoute system. "In the last few years we have adopted several new software programs as part of creating an electronic record," says Dr. Wilson. "I would divide those programs into 2 types: those that are willingly adopted because they improve operational efficiency and those that are only adopted because they are compulsory. EyeRoute is an example of the former. In fact, I resisted going to digital photography until EyeRoute was available because it was the first system that made accessing digital photographs so easy."

"The ability to quickly and efficiently access studies and share them with referring physicians is very beneficial to me," says Julia Haller, MD, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Wills Eye Hospital, professor and chair of ophthalmology, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Haller says the system will help patients by making faster appointments, providing more complete information on the patient, and enabling better communication. She also believes EyeRoute will improve operational efficiency.

Dr. Haller plans to use the system as an educational tool for patients, medical students, residents, and fellows. "Diagnoses can be searched and illustrative cases identified, patients can be tracked, consultations obtained — even from a distance," she says.

"Having all modalities — regardless of manufacturer — displayed in EyeRoute allows multiple imaging and testing results to be reviewed side by side," says Michael P. Kelly, CPT, manager of clinical imaging at Duke Eye Imaging in Durham, NC. "This facilitates correlation between, for example, OCT and fluorescein angiography without having to open and navigate through different software programs."

Mr. Kelly says that because the EyeRoute system is Web-based, images taken at satellite offices can be reviewed later at the main office, or vice versa, if needed. As a result, he says, he can more easily perform quality control to provide satellite photographers with feedback on their imaging right from his location.

LEARNING TO USE THE SYSTEM

Dr. Haller says EyeRoute is user-friendly. "You can use it immediately with very little instruction, but to fully take advantage of some features, such as comparison of studies or putting multiple tests on 1 screen, takes a little practice," she says.

Mr. Kelly agrees that the system is easy to use. "Publishing images is quick. For example, it requires 1 keystroke to publish a Stratus OCT to EyeRoute," he concludes.

Dr. Wilson says that the system is very intuitive. "EyeRoute makes digital photography immediately available and allows side-by-side comparisons of studies from the same patient," he says. Dr. Wilson likes the ease of copying and pasting pictures into presentations for use in his educational presentations. RP

For more information on the EyeRoute system, visit www.topconmedical.com/EyeRoute.