PhD student offers Telegram bot for eyesight checkup
Arsenii Raschyoskov, second-year PhD student and practicing ophthalmologist, speaks about what stimulated him to work on an in-app bot, “One of my patients said that he needs reminders to use eye drops. He had glaucoma, so it was of crucial importance. That’s how I came up with the concept of this Telegram assistant. I completed a short course on bot coding. I really like horizontal studies, i. e. studying completely new areas. So, my first bot took me two days, and I already had an idea how to improve it during testing.”
The next stage was to develop a virtual assistant to remind patients with retina impairments to take their Amsler grid test every two weeks. After that, he also added a visual acuity test.
At this moment, the bot already includes 7 eye tests for personal use.
“The idea is for a person to be able to check their eyesight at any time. Not all people in our vast country have quick access to eye clinics with the necessary equipment. The service now helps them make preliminary evaluations and understand whether they need to refer to a doctor,” adds the young scientist.
An additional advantage is that the Amsler grid test, which is useful for patients with macular degeneration, also can remind them to repeat the test in regular intervals. This stimulates a patient to adhere to regular treatment and checkup schedules. The dry eye test and the OSDI questionnaire also can help trace the dynamics of dry eye.
The bot has amassed over 500 users in a few days and has already received positive feedback.