The Impact of Mobile Application for Ocular Disease Screening in Community Outreach Program

The impact of eye health and vision rehabilitation spans several critical areas, including public health, sustainable development, and economic welfare. Currently, a significant number of individuals, families, and communities worldwide are affected by visual impairment and blindness, largely due to limited access to affordable and high-quality eye care services. For socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, the situation is even more dire, highlighting the importance of community outreach programs that focus on the early detection and treatment of ocular diseases. Mobile health technologies, particularly mobile applications, have emerged as promising tools for enhancing accessibility and affordability in eye care. These initiatives promote self-care practices and leverage mobile phone-captured images for real-time ocular disease screening. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the role of mobile applications in ocular disease screening within community outreach programs. The adoption of such technologies can also play a pivotal role in reducing the overall burden on healthcare systems in resourcelimited areas. Additionally, a case study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile apps in cataract screening at two old folk homes in Malaysia, showing a high accuracy rate exceeding 90% in both locations. The findings suggest that mobile apps hold significant potential as cost-effective and scalable solutions for ocular screening in underserved communities, particularly in regions where access to high-quality eye care services is limited.