Real-world vitreoretinal practice patterns during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide, aggregated health record analysis

Abstract

Purpose of review The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to the healthcare community. To reduce disease transmission, national regulatory agencies temporarily recommended curtailment of all nonurgent office visits and elective surgeries in March 2020, including vitreoretinal outpatient care in the USA. The effect of these guidelines on utilization of vitreoretinal care has not been explored to date. Recent findings Retinal outpatient visits, new patient visits, intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor injections and in-office multimodal retinal imaging has seen a significant decline in utilization in the early phase of the pandemic. Intravitreal injections were performed at a comparatively higher rate than office visits. Utilization appeared to steadily increase in April 2020. Telemedicine visits, enabled by new national legislation for all areas of medicine, have been adopted to a modest degree by the retina community. Summary In-office retinal care declined in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and national regulatory guidelines limiting nonurgent care. These trends in practice patterns and care utilization may be of interest to vitreoretinal providers and all ophthalmologists at large.

Impact on Visual Acuity in Neovascular Age Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) in Europe Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

“…We have detected (during and in the post-lockdown period) a decrease in the number of visits and in the number of injections, similar to other study groups in Europe and the USA [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Due to the very different periods of confinement between countries, we have calculated the number of visits and injections per month in order to compare the influx of patients before, during and after the lockdown.…”

“…The higher rates of cancellations and missed outpatient appointments as a response to COVID-19 significantly reduced both the in-person visits and IVI volumes during the COVID-19 quarantine [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Diabetic Retinopathy Monitoring and Treatment

“…Retina clinics experienced about a 71% volume loss [ 10 ]. Unlike other specialties, the transition to tele-ophthalmology visits was limited, as ophthalmological care is heavily dependent on specialized imaging equipment that is not readily available outside of ophthalmologists’ offices [ 11 ]. DR screening was also frequently postponed during the pandemic, particularly in areas with high COVID-19 community transmission [ 12 ].…”

Centrifuged-Concentrated Intravitreal Slurry Triamcinolone Acetonide: An Inexpensive, Easy, and Viable Alternative to Long-Term Steroid Delivery

“…57 More, the relatively long duration of Slurry TA may be beneficial during restrictions on health care delivery imposed by public health emergencies. 58 Future prospective, controlled studies, using larger numbers of patients with specific diagnoses, can further define the worldwide benefit of this alternative treatment in treating patients affected by macular edema.…”