Pandemic changes glaucoma management in Latin America
The COVID-19 pandemic stemmed workflows and changed the way Latin American ophthalmologists treat patients, according to a presenter at the virtual Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum.
“We have less workflow, and after the pandemic, we may need longer office hours,” S. Fabian Lerner, MD, said.
Lerner conducted a survey of key opinion leaders from the Latin American Glaucoma Society from Dec. 15 to 16, 2020. Forty-seven ophthalmologists responded, representing Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.
The pandemic is altering the number of patients ophthalmologists see regularly, Lerner said. According to the survey, 21% of respondents are seeing the same number of patients as they were before the pandemic, while 34% are seeing about 50% of the patients they would normally see.
Regarding how long patients wait to seek treatment for glaucoma, respondents reported that 43% of patients arranged office visits when they were in worse condition than before the pandemic.
The pandemic has also changed how ophthalmologists in Latin America have approached work. Twenty-six percent of respondents had to fulfill non-ophthalmic duties in hospitals, 87% allow for more space between appointments, 66% measure the temperature of patients before admitting them to medical facilities, 91% make mask use mandatory, and 87% use personal protective equipment, Lerner said. About half of respondents reported using telemedicine to help control patients’ glaucoma.
“I think that many of the technologies we are implementing during the pandemic are here to stay,” Lerner said, even though it is “very difficult to engage through a smartphone.”
Lerner predicted a hybrid system of telemedicine will endure for management of glaucoma, wherein patients engage with physicians in-person as well as remotely.
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Lerner SF. Glaucoma care after COVID: A Pan American perspective. Presented at: Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum; Jan. 30, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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