Abstract Purpose: To describe the six-year evolution of Ojo Pampa, a tele-screening program for diabetic retinopathy (DR) implemented in rural areas of La Pampa, Argentina, and to characterize temporal patterns in DR detection and referral. Methodology: A descriptive, observational study was conducted including all individuals with a prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus residing in rural areas of La Pampa who participated in the Ojo Pampa program between January 2019 and December 2024. Fundus photographs were obtained using a non-mydriatic retinal camera during community-based visits and uploaded to a centralized database. Images were graded asynchronously by ophthalmologists and classified as gradable or non-gradable; gradable images were categorized by DR severity using the International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Scale. Results: A total of 16,717 individuals were screened; 2,266 (13.6%) had non-gradable images. The proportion of patients without DR increased from 77.5% in 2019 to 83.5% in 2024 (p<0.001). Mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR) decreased from 11.1% to 5.3% (p<0.001), while moderate NPDR declined modestly from 7.8% to 7.1% (p=0.012). Advanced DR stages showed no consistent variation over time. Referral rates ranged from 8.5% to 11.2% throughout the study period, without a clear temporal trend. Conclusion: Over six years, the Ojo Pampa program expanded access to diabetic retinopathy screening in underserved rural communities and enabled systematic identification and referral of patients requiring ophthalmologic evaluation. These findings support the feasibility of teleophthalmology as an integrated public health strategy to reduce access barriers and strengthen coordinated diabetic eye care in low- and middle-income settings.
Ortíz-Basso et al. (2026) studied this question.