Cost-Effectiveness of a Telemedicine Optometric-Based Assessment for Screening Diabetic Retinopathy in a Country with a Universal Public Health System.

To determine the cost-effectiveness of a new telemedicine optometric-based screening program of diabetic retinopathy (DR) compared with traditional models' assessments in a universal European public health system. A new teleophthalmology program for DR based on the assessment of retinographies (3-field Joslin Vision Network by a certified optometrist and a reading center [IOBA-RC]) was designed. This program was first conducted in a rural area 40 km from the referral hospital (Medina de Rioseco, Valladolid, Spain).