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Study Finds Telemedicine Improves Care for Children with Eye Cancer

Study Finds Telemedicine Improves Care for Children with Eye Cancer

 

The new research from eye care nonprofit Orbis International, supported by Heidelberg Engineering, shows how telemedicine improves outcomes for children with retinoblastoma through e-learning and virtual mentorship

 

Orbis announces new research that finds telemedicine can improve care for children with retinoblastoma, a form of childhood cancer that can lead to blindness. The study, published in JCO Global Oncology, is the first to show that virtual mentor-mentee relationships through Cybersight, Orbis’s free telemedicine and e-learning platform, not only improves lives, but can save them by successfully transferring skills to eye care professionals in low- and middle-income countries.

 

Each year, about 9,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with retinoblastoma, but only 40% survive beyond three years. This is because 92 percent of these children live in low-and-middle-income countries, where retinoblastoma patients face late diagnosis and limited access to eye care. This groundbreaking research was supported by Heidelberg Engineering, a global leader in advanced imaging solutions. Their funding has been crucial in delivering e-learning webinars, alongside advancing research through Orbis’s Cybersight platform.

 

“Retinoblastoma can be treated if caught early, but too often, it’s not diagnosed until it’s too late,” said Dr. Hunter Cherwek, Vice President of Clinical Services and Technologies at Orbis International. “Many low- and middle-incomes countries don’t have enough resources to provide proper care, but technology offers a solution. This study shows that telemedicine can improve health outcomes for children, especially in remote areas where pediatric eye doctors are scarce.”

 

Cybersight has long been used to diagnose and treat diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and other eye diseases, but this is the first research on its impact on retinoblastoma. The groundbreaking study explored whether Cybersight Consult – a component of the Cybersight platform that connects mentee doctors with expert mentors for advice on complex clinical cases – could improve care and treatment for retinoblastoma. Researchers also examined how virtual mentoring helps eye care professionals build expertise in retinoblastoma over time.

 

Researchers conducted a retrospective review of 653 Cybersight retinoblastoma consultations undertaken by 38 different mentees from 2004 to 2023. They found significant improvements in knowledge-sharing over this 20-year period, especially in three areas: understanding and recording patient symptoms, classifying the disease’s type and how advanced it is, and the results of treatment for both the patient and their eye health. Cybersight’s virtual mentorship approach helped mentees gain critical skills to treat retinoblastoma, especially in regions with few eye care resources.

 

Cybersight provides training, mentoring, and online courses to eye care professionals around the world. The platform has helped train eye care professionals in nearly every country and territory and counts around 15% of the world’s ophthalmologists as registered users.

 

The study reveals the potential of using communication and digital technologies to help children around the world see – and survive.

 

Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organisation that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for over four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure and advocates for the prioritisation of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world’s only fully accredited Flying Eye Hospital, an ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight. www.orbis.org.uk

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