Changing trends in ophthalmological emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19—the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2—a pandemic. Since then, the majority of countries—including Spain—have imposed strict restrictions in order to stop the spread of the virus and the collapse of the health systems. People’s health care–seeking behavior has exhibited a change, not only in those months when the COVID-19 control measures were strictest, but also in the months that followed. We aimed to examine how the trends in ophthalmological emergencies changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in one of the largest tertiary referral hospitals in Spain. To this end, data from all the patients that attended the ophthalmological emergency department during the pandemic period—March 2020 to February 2021—were retrospectively collected and compared with data from the previous year. Moreover, a comparison between April 2020—when the restrictions were most severe—and April 2019 was made. A total of 90,694 patients were included. As expected, there was a decrease in the number of consultations. There was also a decrease in the frequency of conjunctival pathology consultations. These changes may bring to light not only the use that people make of the emergency department, but also the new trends in ophthalmological conditions derived from the hygienic habits that the COVID-19 pandemic has established.

Early-Phase Perceptions of COVID-19’s Impact on Ophthalmology Practice Patterns: A Survey from the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology

“…Fewer patients were seeking ophthalmic care for non-urgent conditions and due to fear of contagion. 29 This decline in surgeries and minor procedures did not only affected the financial aspects of these practices but also had an impact on patient access to necessary treatments and interventions. 30 Patients with existing eye pathologies who were unable to receive timely attention or vision-saving interventions (ie, intravitreal injections, laser photocoagulation) faced the risk of their conditions worsening or developing complications and blindness.…”

“…Fewer patients were seeking ophthalmic care for non-urgent conditions and due to fear of contagion. 29 This decline in surgeries and minor procedures did not only affected the financial aspects of these practices but also had an impact on patient access to necessary treatments and interventions. 30…”