[Computer graphic display of retinal examination results. Software improving the quality of documenting fundus changes].
OBJECTIVE
Graphic documentation of retinal examination results in clinical ophthalmological practice is often depicted using pictures or in handwritten form. Popular software products used to describe changes in the fundus do not vary much from simple graphic programs that enable to insert, scale and edit basic graphic elements such as: a circle, rectangle, arrow or text. Displaying the results of retinal examinations in a unified way is difficult to achieve. Therefore, we devised and implemented modern software tools for this purpose.


METHODS
A computer program enabling to quickly and intuitively form graphs of the fundus, that can be digitally archived or printed was created. Especially for the needs of ophthalmological clinics, a set of standard digital symbols used to document the results of retinal examinations was developed and installed in a library of graphic symbols. These symbols are divided into the following categories: preoperative, postoperative, neovascularization, retinopathy of prematurity. The appropriate symbol can be selected with a click of the mouse and dragged-and-dropped on the canvas of the fundus.


RESULTS
Current forms of documenting results of retinal examinations are unsatisfactory, due to the fact that they are time consuming and imprecise. Unequivocal interpretation is difficult or in some cases impossible. Using the developed computer program a sketch of the fundus can be created much more quickly than by hand drawing. Additionally the quality of the medica documentation using a system of well described and standardized symbols will be enhanced.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Graphic symbols used to document the results of retinal examinations are a part of everyday clinical practice. (2) The designed computer program will allow quick and intuitive graphical creation of fundus sketches that can be either digitally archived or printed.
Jürgens
Clemens
C
Klinik und Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Greifswald der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Germany. juergens@uni-greifswald.de
Grossjohann
Rico
R
Czepita
Damian
D
Tost
Frank
F
D001109:Archives; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003626:Data Display; D004282:Documentation / Q000379:methods*; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012985:Software Design; D014584:User-Computer Interface