E-Health Applications in Ophthalmic Diseases: Ongoing Developments

During the next few years, health systems in developed societies, especially in Japan and Europe, will face increased aging of the population and increased demands on health care systems. This situation, combined with decreasing numbers of health care professionals in our area, could seriously compromise the quality of current health care (Basu, 2008). However, diagnostic and therapeutic tools in most specialties are becoming increasingly more dependent on highly sophisticated technologic advances. Even though e-ophthalmology cannot be substituted for direct patient-doctor relations in the management and follow-up of some conditions, in many cases, it is highly reliable to put eHealth systems in place based on advanced medical devices and information and communications technology ABSTRACT