Mobile Eye Units in the United States and Canada: A Narrative Review of Structures, Services and Challenges.
Villabona-Martinez, Valeria; Zdunek, Anna A.; Jiang, Jessica Y.; Sepulveda-Beltran, Paula A.; Hobson, Zeila A.; Waxman, Evan L.
Why this matters
The design of a mobile eye unit shapes its costs, staffing, throughput, and the care it can provide. A review of mobile eye units in the United States and Canada identifies fully equipped, semi-mobile, school-based, and hybrid teleophthalmology models, and finds follow-up and continuity of care the common weakness across all four.
Abstract
This narrative review examines Mobile Eye Units (MEUs) in the US and Canada. Four operational models were identified: Fully Equipped Mobile Units, Semi-Mobile Outreach Units, School-Based Vision Mobile Units, and Hybrid Teleophthalmology Units. Approximately 21% of US ophthalmology residency programs publicly report involvement in mobile outreach. Across all models, follow-up and continuity of care remain major implementation challenges.