COVID‐19 and its effect on the provision of ophthalmic care in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The first quarter of 2020 gave light to a novel virus, Coronavirus 2019 , causing a pandemic of unbridled proportions. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom issued guidance to ensure that capacity was increased in acute medical settings, to prepare for the surge of COVID-19 cases. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists followed suit with guidance on the curtailment of all elective activity, aimed at protecting both patients and staff. Ophthalmology is one of the busiest outpatient specialities, and risk stratification of patients with appointments cancelled or on review lists was paramount to ensure there was no serious, permanent harm to sight. Our way of working, as we knew it, had to change in a short period of time. Local emergency eye care was changed from a walk in service, with the implementation of a strict triage protocol. Ophthalmologists, as well as How to cite this article: Attzs MS, Lakhani BK. COVID-19 and its effect on the provision of ophthalmic care in the United

COVID-19 and ocular complications: A review of ocular manifestations, diagnostic tools, and prevention strategies

“…At the same time, new working methods should be considered, such as simplifying services, reducing patient backlog, and telemedicine. 77 …”

Covid-19 and its relation to the human eye: transmission, infection, and ocular manifestations

“…The Royal College of Ophthalmologists issued guidance on Ophthalmology services during the pandemic. This guidance weighed the risk of patients experiencing Covid‐19 by attending hospital dates against the risk of harm by delaying treatment [ 6 ].…”

“…The results showed that there was a backlog and significant delay in the elective procedures and operations in the eye care units. Additionally, the protocols limiting the number of patients per day and the triage Conjunctival congestion 5% [10,28] system to screen any possible Covid-19 patients caused a delay in the eye service provided [6]. Thus, the health authorities tried to overcome these obstacles and manage the lockdown effect.…”

“…The Royal College of Ophthalmologists issued guidance on Ophthalmology services during the pandemic. This guidance weighed the risk of patients experiencing Covid-19 by attending hospital dates against the risk of harm by delaying treatment [6]. Stone et al guided a study to examine the effect of the lockdown delays on visual acuity outcomes and optical coherence tomography features for patients receiving an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusions, and diabetic macular edema.…”