ABSTRACT
In this paper, we measured the impact of a full COVID-19 lockdown on ophthalmic patients after a period of lockdown in Saudi Arabia, from March to September 2020. A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 180 patients who had their appointments delayed or canceled due to the lockdown. Data was collected from electronic medical records and patients via voice calls using a validated questionnaire that were analyzed using a multivariable binary regression analysis. The results show no statistically significant mean difference in visual acuity when comparing pre- and post-lockdown measurements. The median number of appointment cancellations/delays per patient was two, and the estimated delay for the first canceled appointments was equal to 178.8 days. Of the cohort studied, 15.4% of patients faced delays in necessary surgical and therapeutic interventions; 22.1% of patients sought eye care at other institutions due to the delay, and 15% of those were seen by doctors unspecialized in ophthalmology. The odds of dissatisfaction with care were higher in patients who experienced cancellations in a surgical procedure and patients who experienced difficulty in obtaining medications. In conclusion, the pandemic hampered ophthalmic patients' access to medications. Subjective visual outcomes of patients were also negatively affected; however, the change in objective visual parameters was not statistically significant.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the frequency of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) among patients scheduled for elective and emergency ophthalmic surgeries in a tertiary eye care center in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This observational retrospective study was performed between June 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020, in a single tertiary eye care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All patients who were given appointments for elective or emergency surgeries were included in the study. All patients underwent preoperative nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 virus. Retrospective chart review of all patients who tested positive for COVID-19 was performed for the demographic and clinical information; presence of symptoms upon presentation, nature, and urgency of the scheduled surgical intervention; and the overall outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 727 patients were scheduled for elective or emergency ophthalmic surgeries during the study period. The mean age of all patients was 61.3 years, 407 were males (55.9%) and 320 were females (44.1%). Of 727 patients tested for COVID-19, the test was positive in 17 (2.3%) patients. All patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic at the time of swabbing. No patient-related perioperative complications or health-care workers' affection secondary to exposure to positive cases were documented. CONCLUSION: The study showed that almost 1 in 43 patients scheduled for elective or emergency ophthalmic surgeries may be positive for COVID-19. All positive cases were asymptomatic at the time of swabbing, underscoring the importance of the routine preoperative screening for COVID-19.