Survey of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Clinical Practice in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effect of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the clinical practice of ophthalmologists in our country. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was delivered to 250 ophthalmologists via e-mail and a smartphone messaging application. A total of 113 ophthalmologists completed the survey. The questions included the participants’ demographic data (age, years in practice, institution, and city), changes in their working conditions and institutional preventive measures implemented during the pandemic, their personal COVID-19 experiences, the prevalence of telemedicine applications, and their attitudes toward these practices. Results: Nearly half (47.8%) of the 113 ophthalmologists were 36 to 45 years old. In terms of years in practice, the largest proportion of respondents (28.3%) had 6-10 years of experience. Most of the participants worked in private/foundation universities (37.2%), while 22.1% worked in education and research clinics. Participants working at public universities most often reported that they or a close contact had to work in COVID wards (89.5%). Triage was performed in 51.5% of ophthalmology outpatient clinics, with 88.0% of these participants reporting that patients with fever, cough, or dyspnea were directed to the pandemic clinic without ophthalmological examination. All participants working in public hospitals, education and research clinics, and public university hospitals had postponed elective surgeries, whereas 12.5% of those working in private practice and 20.5% of those working in private/foundation universities reported that they continued elective surgeries. While 80.8% of the participants did not conduct online interviews or examinations, 40.4% stated that they considered telemedicine applications beneficial. Seventy-seven percent of participants expressed concern about a decrease in their income during the pandemic, with this being especially common among participants working in private practice (87.5%) and private/foundation university hospitals (85.7%). Conclusion: Ophthalmologists across our country have been affected by this pandemic at a level that will change their clinical approach. We think that ophthalmologists impacted by the difficulty of providing personal protective equipment and economic concerns should be supported more during the pandemic.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Residency Education

“…The education of medical students and residents in many branches was also adversely affected by the pandemic (7)(8)(9). Ophthalmology residents and specialists are in the risky group for COVID-19 due to the long-term need for close contact with the patient and the risk of contamination from ocular surface (10). In this study, we conducted an online survey to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on ophthalmology residents compared to PreP.…”

Changes in the Prevalence of Neovascular Glaucoma in Individuals Over Sixty-Five Years of Age During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…An appointment system was adopted in clinics. In this context, several ophthalmological associations published guidelines for the treatment of patients with eye diseases (3,4). Individuals aged over 65 years in particular were unable to attend routine checkups for a long time because of fear of catching the infection in hospitals, restrictions on travel, and a lack of appointment availability stemming from limited numbers of patients being treated.…”

“…Studies from various countries have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in delays to intravitreal injection sessions and a decrease in the number of diabetic retinopathy and retinal vascular occlusions, which represent the most common causes of neovascular glaucoma. (2)(3)(4)(5)7). Delay of treatments in this way can result in a subsequent increase in the numbers of patients with neovascular glaucoma and in surgical procedures in elderly individuals.…”

COVID-19 Pandemic Experiences of Residents: A Qualitative Study

“…COVID-19 dünya genelinde hızla yayılan, sağlık sistemleri ve sağlık çalışanları üzerine olumsuz etkileri olan küresel bir salgına dönüşmüştür (1)(2)(3). Salgın, sağlık hizmet sunumu süreçlerinin önemli bir bileşeni olarak ön safhalarda yer alan uzmanlık öğrencilerinin yaşamında da önemli değişiklere yol açmıştır (4)(5)(6)(7). Küresel salgın ile mücadeleye yönelik araştırmalar sağlık profesyonellerinin sürece ilişkin algı ve deneyimlerinin önemine dikkat çekmektedir (1,8).…”

“…Amerika'da bulunan Mezuniyet Sonrası Tıp Eğitimi Akreditasyon Konseyi (ACGME) (24), Önceki salgın deneyimlerini de referans alarak (25,26) COVID-19 salgını sırasında eğitim ve öğretim faaliyetlerine yönelik öneriler geliştirmiştir. Araştırmalar, küresel salgınla mücadelede sağlık profesyonellerinin (1,12,15,16) ve tıpta uzmanlık öğrencilerinin (6,7,(9)(10)(11)…”