Indian journal of ophthalmology
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jul 2020
ReviewA review of long-term corneal preservation techniques: Relevance and renewed interests in the COVID-19 era.
The growth of eye banking in India was showing positive trends until the nation was hit by unprecedented times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this has led to a downward spiraling in eye banking activities globally. ⋯ This review discusses various methods of long term corneal preservation, their relevance and applications in the present times. We reviewed relevant medical literature in English from PUBMED with the key words "Corneal preservation", "Cryopreservation", "Glycerol preservation", Gamma Irradiation", "Eye Banking" ,"COVID-19".
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jul 2020
Practice GuidelineCommunity eye-health and vision center guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted our society on an unprecedented scale since its inception in December 2019. As the health-care system is finally re-organizing to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, it was necessary to re-structure primary eye care (PEC) activities as well on the same lines. A consensus meeting was held with leading eye-care experts on 2nd May 2020 to prepare a roadmap for PEC in the days to come. ⋯ Because conjunctivitis may be an early sign which can present at VCs, extra precautions in the form of PPE has to be ensured while examining such patients. This is also an opportunity to start running telemedicine clinics for all emergent cases that cannot be managed at the primary level. The guidelines also need to be updated based on the context of the working environment and changes in government directives from time to time.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jul 2020
Glycerol-preserved corneal tissue in emergency corneal transplantation: An alternative for fresh corneal tissue in COVID-19 crisis.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the eye banks have limited/stopped corneal collection, as this is a highly contagious disease. This has led to shortage of donor corneas worldwide. Glycerol preservation of tissue remains a viable option in this scenario. The objective is to compare fresh corneal tissue (FCT) with glycerol-preserved cornea (GPC) in emergency corneal transplantation. ⋯ The GPC is comparable to FCTs in therapeutic transplant and can be a useful interim procedure in saving the eyes in cases of infective keratitis in the time of crisis.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jul 2020
Practice GuidelineAll India Ophthalmological Society - Preferred practice in refractive surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus pandemic has strained the healthcare system with mortality and morbidity. A number of elective surgeries have come to standstill due to lockdown and movement restrictions. Refractive surgery being a purely elective procedure and quite a fresh subset of ophthalmology, there is a lack of unanimity as to what precautions should be followed to resume the practice of same. This article attempts to highlight simple guidelines in accordance with an expert panel, which can be followed by all those involved directly or indirectly in refractive surgery services while addressing safety of doctors, supporting staff as well as patients as a primary concern.
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Indian J Ophthalmol · Jul 2020
ReviewDifferential diagnosis of acute ocular pain: Teleophthalmology during COVID-19 pandemic - A perspective.
Ocular pain is a common complaint which forces the patient to seek immediate medical attention. It is the primeval first response of the body to any severe condition of the eye such as trauma, infections and inflammation. The pain can be due to conditions directly affecting the eye and ocular adnexa; or indirect which would manifest as referred pain from other organ structures such as the central nervous system. ⋯ In this perspective, we intend to provide guidelines to the practising ophthalmologist for teleconsultation when a patient complains of pain with focus on how to differentiate the various diagnoses that can be managed over teleconsultation and those requiring emergency care in the clinic. These guidelines can decrease unnecessary hospital visits, which is the need of the hour in the pandemic era and also beyond. Patients who are under quarantine and those who are unable to travel would be benefitted, and at the same time, the burden of increased patient load in busy hospital systems can be reduced.