147 Empowering telemedicine – Essential for neurologic and ophthalmologic conditions in the context of a pandemic and beyond AbstrAct In this paper we discuss the importance of telemedicine in two parts – frst, regarding two of the common and disa- bling nervous system disorders: Parkinson’s disease and stroke; and the second part, regarding the screening for diabetic retinopathy. We also debate on possible links between these medical conditions. More and more connec- tions between pathologies are discovered every day; sometimes unimagined. In order to prevail over the diseases causing today’s burden, we must work together, collaborate and understand that there could be no boundaries in the complexity of diseases. With the recent progress in medicine, but also in telecommunication, the remote diagnosis, screening and monitoring of illnesses, is now up-to-date more than ever. It is our task to embrace the future perspectives and to adapt in order to beneft from these concepts. We believe that through telemedicine, more patients will have access to quality healthcare services and ultimately improve their quality of life. Keywords: telemedicine, computer interface, network, machine learning, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, tele-neurology, tele-ophthalmology Corresponding author: Vlad-Ioan Suciu E-mail: vs_sib@yahoo.com Romanian JouRnal of neuRology – Volume XIX, No. 3, 2020 REVIEWS Ref: Ro J Neurol. 2020;19(3) DOI: 10.37897/RJN.2020.3.2 INtrODUctION Since the widespread of computer networking in the 1980’s, more and more people have had access to the internet. The concept of remote work has de- veloped in a fast pace thanks to the modern, high- speed network connections. Telemedicine is a rela- tively novel concept involving the remote, real-time diagnosis and management of patients by using computer interfaces through secured internet con- nections. Telemedicine has been developed for are- as where there are important restrictions regarding the fast access of emergency healthcare providers, such as rural areas (1-6). The newest healthcare crisis, secondary to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, opens a new per- spective on the great potential of the broad applica- tions of telemedical services, not only in restricted access areas, but also in most hospitals. Telemedi- cine with all its branches could have benefcial ef- fects during the pandemic and beyond. Tele-neurol- ogy, tele-ophthalmology, tele-radiology are some of the medical specialties which can adapt to tele- medical needs (7-10). Tele-neurology (TN), an important branch of telemedicine, is now in full development and has a great potential of adaptation to the remote health- Vlad-Ioan Suciu 1 , Corina-Iuliana Suciu 2,3 , Simona Delia Nicoara 2,4 , Lacramioara Perju-Dumbrava 1 1 Department of Neuroscience, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 Department of Ophthalmology, Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 3 University of Oradea, Romania 4 Department of Ophthalmology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Article History: Received: 5 September 2020 Accepted: 28 September 2020