The Impact of Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Characteristics of Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments at a Tertiary Referral Centre.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the effect of three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic primarily on the number and timing of referrals due to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and secondarily on the demographic or clinical characteristics of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective single-centre analysis of medical records included 247 eyes from 247 patients who underwent primary RRD repair with (phaco) vitrectomy between January 1, 2019, and May 31, 2021. RESULTS: The percentage of referrals due to primary RRD during the first year of pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) was 16.5% (p=0.179) lower than a year earlier. The percentage of referrals during the first, second and third wave of the pandemic was 48.4%, 18.5% and 26.1% (p=0.029, 0.475, 0.343) lower than in the corresponding months of 2019. A rebound effect was observed only after the first wave. The numbers of referrals in April and May 2021 were similar as in the corresponding months of 2019. No significant differences were observed in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, other than a tendency towards a higher representation of women, younger persons, longer duration of symptoms but better visual acuity in the latter group. Silicone oil tamponade was used more frequently during the pandemic than before. CONCLUSION: In this study, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the number and timing of referrals due to RRD and the clinical but not demographic characteristics of the patients. The effect lessened with the duration of the pandemic. Previously raised concerns regarding the delay in RRD referrals may no longer be valid during a potential fourth wave of the pandemic. The impact of the pandemic's waves should be analysed separately, as such an approach provides a better insight into the fluctuations in the number of referrals due to RRD than a year-to-year comparison.

Impact of Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Rate of Elective Cataract Surgeries at a Tertiary Referral Center: A Polish Perspective.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of elective cataract surgeries. A retrospective single-center consecutive case series study was performed. We included all 12,464 patients who received cataract surgery in the period between 1 January 2016 and 31 May 2021. Monthly numbers of cataract surgeries during the pandemic were compared with monthly numbers in the reference years 2016-2019. In the pandemic the number of cataract surgeries decreased by 53.4%. The monthly numbers during the first, second and third wave of the pandemic were 77.5%, 51.5% and 29.7% lower, respectively, compared with the reference level. No rebound effect was observed once the pandemic restrictions were eased. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgeries (SBCS) constituted 6.5% of cataract procedures performed in April and May 2021 compared with 0.77% carried out between May 2019 and March 2021. While the pandemic-affected monthly numbers of cataract surgeries tend to increase recently, they are still below the prepandemic level. Patients should be encouraged to weigh the risks of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality against the benefits of cataract surgery. Reorganization of the logistics of cataract services is advisable with consideration of SBCS as one of the options.