Legal obligation in the general population: face mask influence on endophthalmitis after intravitreal injection.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether compulsory face masking in public life changes the incidence or pattern of post-injection endophthalmitis (PIE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: All injections of bevacizumab, ranibizumab, aflibercept, dexamethasone or triamcinolone between 01/01/2015 and 12/31/2021 at the University Eye Clinic of Tuebingen were included in this retrospective analysis. The injection procedure itself was unchanged since 2015 and included the use of a sterile drape covering the head up to the shoulders which prevents airflow toward the eye. Furthermore, all staff wore a face mask and gloves at all times. The two study periods were defined by the introduction of a compulsory face masking rule in public life (01/01/2015 until 04/27/2020 vs. 04/28/2020 until 12/31/2021). RESULTS: A total of 83,543 injections were performed in the tertiary eye clinic, associated with a total of 20 PIE (0.024%, 1/4177 injections). Of these, thirteen PIE were documented during the pre-pandemic period (0.021%, 1/4773 injections) and seven PIE during the pandemic period (0.033%, 1/3071 injections). No significant difference in PIE risk was observed (p = 0.49), and there was no case of oral flora associated PIE. CONCLUSION: Although some potential confounders (wearing time, skin flora) could not be considered, there was no clear signal that the introduction of compulsory face masking in public life did alter the risk for PIE in our patient population. Three and six months after PIE, no difference in visual acuity was detectable between the two study periods.

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence: experiences of a tertiary eye centre.

INTRODUCTION: The actual prevalence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection and the individual assessment of being or having been infected may differ. Facing the great uncertainty-especially at the beginning of the pandemic-and the possibility of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, subclinical infections, we evaluate the experience of SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening at a tertiary clinical setting. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All employees of a tertiary eye centre and a research institute of ophthalmology were offered antibody testing in May 2020, using a sequential combination of different validated assays/antigens and point-of-care (POC) testing for a subset (NCT04446338). Before taking blood, a systematic inquiry into past symptoms, known contacts and a subjective self-assessment was documented. The correlations between serostatus, patient contacts and demographic characteristics were analysed. Different tests were compared by Kappa statistics. RESULTS: Among 318 participants, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 9 employees. Chemiluminescence assays (chemiluminescence immunoassay and electrochemiluminescence) showed superior specificity and high reproducibility, compared with ELISA and POC results.In contrast to the low seropositivity (2.8%) of healthcare workers, higher than that of the other departments of the hospital, a large proportion mistakenly assumed that they might have already been infected. Antiviral antibody titres increased and remained on a plateau for at least 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: The great demand and acceptance confirmed the benefit of highly sensitive testing methods in the early phase of the pandemic. The coincidence of low seroprevalence and anxious employees may have contributed to internalising the need of hygiene measures.

Severe acute respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2: Can it be detected in the retina?

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The systemic organ involvement of SARS-CoV-2 needs to be thoroughly investigated including the possibility of an ocular reservoir in humans. To examine retinal tissues and vitreous for histopathology and SARS-CoV-2 presence with regard to possible effects on the human retina and/ or vitreous. We performed histopathological analyses and quantitative (q)RT-PCR-testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on retinal tissues and vitreous of COVID-19 postmortem donors. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Included in this study were 10 eyes of 5 deceased COVID-19 patients. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed via pharyngeal swabs and broncho-alveolar fluids. The highest level of personal protective equipment (PPE) and measures was employed during fluid-tissue procurement and preparation. Histopathological examinations and qRT-PCR-testing were carried out for all retinal tissues and vitreous fluids. RESULTS: The histopathological examinations revealed no signs of morphologically identifiable retinal inflammation or vessel occlusions based on hematoxylin and eosin stains. By qRT-PCRs, we detected no significant level of viral RNA in human retina and vitreous. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, no significant level of SARS-CoV-2-RNA was detected in the human retinal and vitreous fluid samples of deceased COVID-19 patients. Histopathological examinations confirmed no morphological sign of damage to retinal vasculature or tissues. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute the results.

Absence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 RNA in Human Corneal Tissues.

PURPOSE: To examine corneal tissue for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positivity regarding implications for tissue procurement, processing, corneal transplantation, and ocular surgery on healthy patients. We performed quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction qRT-PCR-testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA on corneal stroma and endothelium, bulbar conjunctiva, conjunctival fluid swabs, anterior chamber fluid, and corneal epithelium of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) postmortem donors. METHODS: Included in this study were 10 bulbi of 5 COVID-19 patients who died because of respiratory insufficiency. Informed consent and institutional review board approval was obtained before this study (241/2020BO2). SARS-CoV-2 was detected by using a pharyngeal swab and bronchoalveolar lavage. Tissue procurement and tissue preparation were performed with personal protective equipment (PPE) and the necessary protective measures. qRT-PCR-testing was performed for each of the abovementioned tissues and intraocular fluids. RESULTS: The qRT-PCRs yielded no viral RNA in the following ocular tissues and intraocular fluid: corneal stroma and endothelium, bulbar-limbal conjunctiva, conjunctival fluid swabs, anterior chamber fluid, and corneal epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, no SARS-CoV-2-RNA was detected in conjunctiva, anterior chamber fluid, and corneal tissues (endothelium, stroma, and epithelium) of COVID-19 donors. This implicates that the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection using corneal or conjunctival tissue is very low. However, further studies on a higher number of COVID-19 patients are necessary to confirm these results. This might be of high importance for donor tissue procurement, processing, and corneal transplantation.

First results of investigations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human corneal tissue.

Preliminary investigations of human corneal tissues from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cadaveric donors indicated that no severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA is present. Current eye banking guidelines do not recommend any type of routine testing for SARS-CoV­2 RNA in post-mortem donor tissue. This is partly based on factors that can influence the test results of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Absence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 RNA in ocular tissues.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the status of ocular donor tissues of a COVID-19 postmortem donor. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 was detected via a pharyngeal swab and broncho-alveolar lavage in the COVID-19 suspect. Postmortem tissue procurement and preparation were performed with personal protective equipment (PPE) and the necessary protective measures. qRT-PCR-testing was performed for the following ocular tissues and fluids: conjunctival fluid swabs, bulbar conjunctiva, corneal epithelium, corneal stroma, corneal endothelium, anterior chamber fluid, lens, iris, vitreous, retina, uvea, sclera, and optic nerve. Informed consent and Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to this study (196/2020BO2; Date of approval: 03/26/2020; Ethics Committee of the University of Tuebingen). RESULTS: In all ocular tissue and fluid samples no SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected via qRT-PCR of the confirmed COVID-19 postmortem donor. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Late-stage COVID-19 patients might not harbor an ocular reservoir of SARS-CoV-2. The risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 via ocular tissues and fluids might be low. This may bear future implications for patient management in ophthalmological practice, surgery and transplantation.

[Seroprevalence and SARS-CoV-2 testing in healthcare occupations]. / Seroprävalenz und SARS-CoV-2-Testung in Gesundheitsberufen.

The SARS-CoV­2 causes a disease spectrum that includes asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic infections with subclinical manifestations but which can nevertheless still be potentially contagious. Evidence from SARS-CoV­2 infected macaque monkeys and from studies with seasonal coronaviruses suggests that the infection is likely to produce an immunity that is protective for a certain period of time. Available test methods enable a high degree of reliability, e.g. if high-quality serological methods are combined. Although individual test results have to be interpreted with caution, serosurveillance in a tertiary eye care center and large eye research institute can reduce anxiety and provide clarity regarding the actual number of (unreported) SARS-CoV­2 infections.

[First results of investigations of SARS-CoV­2 RNA in human corneal tissue]. / Erste Ergebnisse zu Untersuchungen der menschlichen Hornhaut auf SARS-CoV­2-RNA.

Preliminary investigations of human corneal tissues from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cadaveric donors indicated that no severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA is present. Current eye banking guidelines do not recommend any type of routine testing for SARS-CoV­2 RNA in post-mortem donor tissue. This is partly based on factors that can influence the test results of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

[Importance of corneal organ culture in donors with possible SARS-CoV-2 infections]. / Bedeutung der Hornhautorgankultur bei Spendern mit möglicher SARS-CoV-2-Infektion.

The appearance of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV­2) poses challenges in ophthalmology particularly for eye banks. A valid risk assessment for the removal and processing of donor corneas is difficult due to the lack of data. The risk to infect transplant recipients with SARS-CoV­2 still appears very unlikely due to the experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome -coronavirus(­1) (SARS-CoV(­1)) and Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV); however, due to the occurrence of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the cornea an infection of this tissue with SARS-CoV­2 cannot be completely excluded. Therefore, routine testing of the organ culture medium used for donor corneas for SARS-CoV­2 prior to transplantation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID­19) pandemic should be considered.