Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States, yet only half of people living with glaucoma are aware they have it. VA’s Technology Based Eye Care Services (TECS) is working to change that for Veterans by providing them with greater access to glaucoma screening and care through a new Tele-glaucoma program.
Drs. Korey Jaben and Annette Giangiacomo are ophthalmologists and glaucoma specialists in the TECS program at the VISN 7 Clinical Resource Hub in Atlanta. They explained that the TECS program enables Veterans to receive routine and specialized eye appointments from their VA clinic rather than having to travel long distances to their main VA facility.
During a TECS Tele-glaucoma clinic visit, a technician will perform the eye exam and tests, and then the clinical information is shared with a remote eye care specialist for analysis. As TECS glaucoma specialists, Jaben and Giangiacomo review the clinical information for warning signs of glaucoma, and they contact Veterans by phone or VA Video Connect to discuss the findings.
