Indian journal of ophthalmology
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Nov 2020
Multicenter StudyImpact of COVID-19-related lockdown-I on a network of rural eye centres in Southern India.
With the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), India went for lockdown-I on March 23, 2020. In this article, we report on the demographic profile and ocular disorders from our 20 rural eye centres during lockdown-I and its comparison with the pre-lockdown period. ⋯ Lockdown-I had significantly impacted patient care in rural areas. As compared to the pre-lockdown period, during the lockdown, there was an issue with access to services by females. Despite a higher number of specialty patients (including emergencies) visiting during the lockdown, 91% of the patients who visited rural centres could be managed locally, avoiding long-distance travel.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Nov 2020
Comparative StudyImpact of COVID-19 pandemic, national lockdown, and unlocking on an apex tertiary care ophthalmic institute.
To evaluate the impact of 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, national lockdown, and unlocking on ophthalmic care provided by the government-funded apex health institute of India. ⋯ COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown severely hampered the delivery of ophthalmic care by the apex-ophthalmic institute. Unlike anticipated, lifting of pandemic-associated lockdown served only minimally in improving patient inflow in its initial phases.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Nov 2020
Case ReportsFour in one: Four recepients with a single donor tissue - A novel concept for eye transplantation surgery post-COVID-19.
A donor corneo-scleral button was dissected into four parts using a simple manual technique. The anterior corneal lamellae was stripped from the Descemet's Membrane (DM) and Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK) was performed in a patient with advanced keratoconus after removing the recipient's stroma using the big bubble technique. Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) was done with the stripped donor DM in a patient with Fuch's endothelial dystroph (FECD). ⋯ At 1 year, all the 4 cases retained healthy transplanted tissues with good visual outcomes. Shortage of donor eyes is a global problem and with the present COVID-19 scenario the situation is bound to worsen. The advent of customized component corneal transplantation using simple cost-effective techniques will be the future trend in the years to come.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Nov 2020
Practice GuidelineGuidelines for the management of ocular trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, India is recording a very high number of new cases daily; even as the country prepares to gradually "unlock", after months of lockdown. While elective eye surgeries such as uncomplicated cataract surgeries, blepharoplasty and eyelid procedures and refractive surgeries can be planned at a later date; emergency cases pertaining to ocular trauma cannot be deferred. This manuscript gives a brief overview of the general guidelines for the management of ocular trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Nov 2020
Preoperative COVID-19 testing for elective vitreoretinal surgeries: Experience from a major tertiary care institute in South India.
To study the prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 virus infection (COVID-19) among patients undergoing elective vitreoretinal surgeries at a tertiary care eye hospital. ⋯ Our results showed that among patients visiting high volume ophthalmic centers in the near future, approximately 1 in 45 patients may be asymptomatic, SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive. Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients may lead to chances of transmission of the virus inside healthcare facilities among other visiting patients and healthcare workers.