Projects

Spotlight Project- Mobile Unit

While her career at Columbia University in 2017, Dr. Lama Al-Aswad launched the tele-ophthalmology project with a mobile unit. With the main aim of detecting the 4 leading causes of blindness—glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy—she has been looking to catch people in the earliest stages of various eye diseases. The appeal of the mobile unit is that residents can walk up to the van without an appointment, be screened free of charge, and receive an immediate diagnosis. This mobile unit helps bridge some gaps in care, as it has shown promising results in screening a large proportion of patients who had not received an eye examination in two or more years and detecting eye conditions that require an ophthalmologist's care. 

Spotlight Project- Detecting Common Eye Diseases Using the First Teleophthalmology GlobeChek Kiosk in the United States

The aim of this project was to assess the benefit and feasibility of a teleophthalmology unit in a community based program. The unit implemented in this study was a GlobeChek kiosk, which is a unit that provides the user with a comprehensive screening and testing process that detects glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and cataracts, the four leading causes of blindness in the US, as well as a host of other eye and systemic diseases through an undilated exam. During her time at Columbia University, Dr. Lama Al-Aswad led this non-randomized, cross-sectional study and reached the conclusion that the GlobeChek kiosk is effective in increasing access to care and identifying the leading causes of blindness and their respective risk factors. 

Spotlight Project- NYU Langone Eye Test App

During her time at New York University, Dr. Lama Al-Aswad led a team and developed the NYU Langone Eye test. This application allows patients to perform a visual assessment prior to their appointment with their eye care provider. The test results are submitted to the patient's electronic health record for the provider to review. Research on the validity of the test was conducted, which found that the application is a user friendly, reliable measure of near distance visual acuity. The integration of the app with the patient's electronic health record makes it an optimal tool for telemedicine. 

Download the application through the App Store or Google Play. 

Spotlight Project- Population Health

As a subspecialty, Dr. Lama Al-Aswad has continued to investivate disease prevention and population health management. A notable project is the New York Project, which examined the feasibility of glaucoma screening in high risk populations in New York City. Results showed that the screening was effective in finding those who are in need of specialized evaluation by an ophthalmologist. In addition, further research has been done to investigate whether the mobile unit is successful in targeting low socioeconimic neighborhoods in New York City. This study found that the Social Vulnerability Index can identify populations in need of eye care and once screened, older patients and those from densely populated areas were more likely to follow up for clinical care.