COVID lockdowns negatively affected outcomes of retinal detachment emergencies
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
CHICAGO — Shelter-in-place orders used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 decreased visual acuity improvements for patients with retinal detachments, according to a poster presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
In a retrospective chart review, Rebecca Chen, MD, and colleagues studied eye-specific emergency room visits at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, comparing pre-pandemic data accrued from March 25 to May 19, 2019, with data from March 23 to May 17, 2020, when shelter-in-place orders were active.
Retinal detachment constituted the greatest number of emergencies in both cohorts.
In 2019, 7% of emergencies were corneal ulcers, 10% were open globe injuries, 13% were glaucoma related, 49% were retinal detachments, and 28% were other ophthalmic emergencies.
In 2020, 8% were corneal ulcers, 17% were open globe injuries, 17% were glaucoma related, 49% were retinal detachments, and 10% were other emergencies.
For retinal detachments, the emergency department-to-postoperative visual acuity change up to 1-year follow-up was worse in 2020 than in 2019. Time between symptom presentation and going to the emergency department was similar between 2019 and 2020. There were also similar surgical decision times. However, patients in the 2020 group were less likely to experience visual acuity improvement at 1-year follow-up.
Chen and colleagues noted that several potential confounding factors may have influenced the results of their study. For example, the closure of outpatient clinics between March 18 and May 3, 2020, as well as fewer active clinical faculty, may have affected outcomes.
“While [shelter-in-place] orders may be a necessary public health measure during a pandemic, their negative impact on the outcomes of certain emergent surgical ophthalmic conditions should not be overlooked,” Chen and colleagues said in the poster.
Collapse
Chen R, et al. Effect of COVID-related shelter-in-place orders on the outcomes of ophthalmic surgical emergencies. Presented at: American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting; Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2022; Chicago.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts