Impact of new technologies in ophthalmology
New technologies in medicine generally have many origins, some predicted and planned, others serendipitous. The application of the new genetics is an example of the former while the discovery of antibiotics and the intraocular lens might better fit into the latter category. The application of new technology to medicine is set to produce a revolution in health care, in both diagnostics and its management. According to Hendee of the National Institutes of Health, USA1 “biomedical informatics, imaging, and engineering are major forces driving the knowledge revolutions that are shaping the agendas for biomedical research and clinical medicine in the 21st century.” This is a bold statement but there is considerable evidence to support it. Remarkable advances are being made in technologies which will indeed shape the way disease control is managed. Examples include high throughput genetic screening in the post-genomic era using microchip arrays,2 biosensor techniques which will allow …
