Introduction To elucidate the perceptions on eye care of patients affected by the disruption of outpatient and surgical ophthalmological services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted during the reopening of outpatient services at two tertiary eye care centres in Singapore and North India. Consecutive patients were recruited from general and specialist eye clinics in June 2020. Results A total of 326 patients were recruited, 200 patients from Singapore and 126 patients from New Delhi, India. The most common eye conditions were diabetic retinopathy and uveitis or ocular inflammatory conditions in the Indian centre, whereas the most common in the Singaporean centre were cataract in the pre- or postoperative stage and glaucoma. For patients from the Indian centre, 61.9% felt that COVID-19 had negatively impacted their eye disease, 58.7% were more distressed by their eye disease, 70.8% could not access appropriate eye care, 66.6% were afraid of contracting COVID-19 in the clinic, and 61.9% were accepting of teleconsultations. For patients from the Singaporean centre, 13.5% felt that COVID-19 had negatively impacted their eye disease, 19.5% were more distressed by their eye disease, 21.5% could not access appropriate eye care, 35% were afraid of contracting COVID-19 in the clinic, and only 31% were accepting of teleconsultations. Conclusion Patients from India appear to have been more negatively affected by the pandemic compared to patients from Singapore. This study highlights patients’ perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on eye care, perceived risks, ease of access to care and attitudes towards eye care during the pandemic. Patients’ perceptions are integral in developing strategies for the best care possible. There were heterogeneous responses amongst our patients; hence, there may be a role for more individualized healthcare strategies in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40123-021-00444-0.
Till today, ocular tuberculosis (OTB) presents clinicians with significant challenges in diagnosis and management. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to a heterogeneous disease like OTB, and clinicians often have to consider a multitude of factors when initiating treatment, such as tuberculosis endemicity, the probability of a true OTB diagnosis in the setting of nonspecific ocular features, the effective duration of treatment, and the likelihood of vision-threatening complications in the patient. It is no wonder that treatment protocols are widely varied globally. There have been recent developments in the standardization of nomenclature and therapeutic strategies for OTB, as established by the Collaborative OTB Study Working Group. In this review, we referred to findings in retrospective studies, international clinical guidelines, and OTB consortiums, to explore the clinical presentations, investigations, and updated management principles for patients with presumed tubercular uveitis.
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