We investigated the use of a telemedicine system and the issues in managing the medical care of patients after glaucoma surgery. As a result of use of the telemedicine system, the number of study patients at the special hospital decreased and the patients had outcomes that were similar to those who received conventional postoperative care. In addition to the interaction among doctors and patients via the telemedicine system, reducing the care burden and increasing the availability of the physician skills were expected to benefit the regional doctors. Installation of a special terminal at the homes of the patients facilitated early discharge and remote follow-up, which reduced the treatment burden. In addition, because of earlier discharges of such patients who can be followed remotely, the number of hospital inpatients and surgeries can increase. The results indicated that patients can return to normal activities earlier postoperatively and the health care costs decreased as a result of the telemedicine system. In addition, the results suggested that the telemedicine system can lead to improvements in the treatment results and doctors’medical burden. We can expect that patients can return to their daily activities earlier after surgery, which decreases medical costs.
