ROP screening with the Pictor Plus camera: a telemedicine solution for developing countries

To assess the Pictor Plus portable noncontact ophthalmic camera for use in diagnosis of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its feasibility for telemedicine applications, especially in developing countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2018 to December 2019 in six public neonatal care centers in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Observer 1 performed the examination with a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope and subsequently captured a digital image using the Pictor Plus camera. These images were analyzed by observers 2 and 3, who were masked to the results recorded by observer 1. The convenience sample was 200 premature newborns (n = 712 eyes) with a birthweight of ≤1,500 g or gestational age at birth of ≤32 weeks. The sensitivity of Pictor Plus digital images for the diagnosis of plus or pre-plus disease was 65.8% for observer 2 and 63.2% for observer 3; the specificity, 100% and 98,4%, respectively. Interobserver agreement analysis for image reading compared to observer 1 indirect ophthalmoscopy showed kappa coefficients of 0.77 (observer 2) and 0.68 (observer 3). In our study cohort, the Pictor Plus, a relatively low-cost camera, was effective in facilitating accurate diagnosis of ROP.▪