A novel telemedicine approach combining the high speed of 5G wireless networks and navigated retinal laser photocoagulation could allow treatment of diabetic retinopathy at a distance.
In a prospective study, Youxin Chen, MD, PhD, a retina specialist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, treated nine eyes of six patients with proliferative or severe nonproliferative DR located 1,200 km away at the First People’s Hospital in Huzhou, China.
A Navilas laser system (OD-OS) for navigated retinal photocoagulation in Huzhou was set and operated remotely by Chen using the