ABSTRACT
Purpose : To report the ophthalmological care management of cataract patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in an eye healthcare system in Mexico. Methods : A retrospective observational study was designed to review the surgical management of cataract patients from March 1st to December 31, 2020, compared to the same period from 2019. We classified surgical management in three categories: urgent, emergent, and elective procedures, based on the the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology (SMO) and our Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (UVEH). Three eyecare centers participated in this study. The main outcome measure was the rate of reduction in urgent and elective surgeries performed. Priority was given to patients with retinal disease, glaucoma, brunescent cataracts, pediatric patients, and patients with visual acuity (≤ 20/200). Routine preoperative RT-PCR testing for SARS-COV-2 was required for all patients. Results : 240 cataract surgeries were performed in the 2020 period compared to the 643 surgeries performed in the same period of the previous year (-62.7% in 2020 compared to 2019, p < 0.0001). (Fig. 1) The mean age of operated patients was 66.5±11.81 years in 2019 and 66.2±12.06y in 2020. During the studied period, thirteen cataract surgeries (5.4%) were suspended in our healthcare system due to positive preoperative results for SARSCoV-2 by nasopharyngeal PCR. Conclusions : The implementation of strict protocols in our non-COVID-19 units allowed for surgical management of cataract patients. As expected, a significant reduction in the amount of cataract surgeries was recorded during the SARS-COV-2 outbreak. Preoperative PCR testing for all patients who undergo cataract surgery in conjunction with strict hospital protocols might allow for safe surgical management of cataracts. From our healthcare university system, a tertiary referral hospital was converted into a COVID-19 unit in order to tackle the challenges of the pandemic. A second tertiary hospital increased its capacity to attend to the needs of all surgical and clinical necessities of nonCOVID-19 patients. Lastly, the specialized ophthalmological unit (CAM) reopened in August, with restricted capacity, restructuration of areas, staff rotation, COVID-19 testing of staff and strict sanitary precautions.