PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the impact that society as a whole, and medicine specifically, has experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an examination of clinical care changes enacted in the field of ophthalmology is of interest to the specialty. RECENT FINDINGS: In order to adapt to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, measures, such as broadening telehealth capabilities, adopting universal masking, careful sanitation procedures, applying virtual teaching in academic environments, and deferring elective surgeries were put in place. These were aimed at reducing person-to-person spread of SARS-CoV-2. Though best efforts were made at triaging ophthalmic emergencies during these times, unfortunate delays in care were observed in some circumstances. Finally, a prospective study interrogating the risk of spread at slit lamp distances for short periods of time was encouraging, suggesting low risk of transmissibility, though limited by a small case-positive sample size. SUMMARY: Significant changes have been made in the design and delivery of ophthalmic care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these, such as telemedicine, may provide value in a postpandemic world.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the impact that society as a whole, and medicine specifically, has experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an examination of clinical care changes enacted in the field of ophthalmology is of interest to the specialty. RECENT FINDINGS: In order to adapt to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, measures, such as broadening telehealth capabilities, adopting universal masking, careful sanitation procedures, applying virtual teaching in academic environments, and deferring elective surgeries were put in place. These were aimed at reducing person-to-person spread of SARS-CoV-2. Though best efforts were made at triaging ophthalmic emergencies during these times, unfortunate delays in care were observed in some circumstances. Finally, a prospective study interrogating the risk of spread at slit lamp distances for short periods of time was encouraging, suggesting low risk of transmissibility, though limited by a small case-positive sample size. SUMMARY: Significant changes have been made in the design and delivery of ophthalmic care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these, such as telemedicine, may provide value in a postpandemic world.
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Authors: Rupesh Agrawal; Ilaria Testi; Cecilia S Lee; Edmund Tsui; Marian Blazes; Jennifer E Thorne; Annabelle A Okada; Justine R Smith; Peter J McCluskey; John H Kempen; Christoph Tappeiner; Manisha Agarwal; Bahram Bodaghi; Quan Dong Nguyen; Vishali Gupta; Marc D De Smet; Manfred Zierhut; Carlos Pavesio Journal: Br J Ophthalmol Date: 2020-06-25 Impact factor: 5.908
Authors: Charles N J McGhee; Simon Dean; Simone E N Freundlich; Akilesh Gokul; Mohammed Ziaei; Dipika V Patel; Rachael L Niederer; Helen V Danesh-Meyer Journal: Clin Exp Ophthalmol Date: 2020-10-11 Impact factor: 4.383
Authors: Fabio Daniel Padilla-Pantoja; Yeison D Sanchez; Bernardo Alfonso Quijano-Nieto; Oscar J Perdomo; Fabio A Gonzalez Journal: Transl Vis Sci Technol Date: 2022-09-01 Impact factor: 3.048