What does Automated Retinal Image Quality Assessment (ARIQA) mean for EyePACS-certified photographers who are submitting images to the EyePACS system? It can mean a lot, so we’d like to take just a few minutes to explain.
Images that are manually added to a new encounter on our clinical site in a web browser will now be assessed and labeled – automatically – for image type and image quality before the encounter has been saved. If your images are suboptimal, they will be identified for you immediately. Now, there are a few caveats. These features do not apply if you’re using the EyePACS Auto Uploader, and you will still receive image quality feedback from a consultant after your encounter has been graded.
So, how does ARIQA work for you? First, each image will receive a color-coded score: Green for “excellent,” yellow for “adequate,” and red for “insufficient.” You’ll discover a colored box around each image, so you’ll immediately know the rating of each one. And your images will have been labeled for you! No more need to label each image (although you may change labels manually if necessary). You’ll also see a flashing message about quality artifacts such as a dirty lens to remind you to clean the lens following our protocol found in the EyePACS Photographer Manual.
ARIQA provides feedback on artifacts, exposure, focus and lens, demonstrating whether a particular image is sufficient for this or any interpretation, and exactly why. We believe this new feature will move many EyePACS-certified photographers to a higher level of performance and greater job satisfaction, saving the sight of more patients with diabetes.
