Impact of local COVID-19 alert levels on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of the local alert levels regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the clinical patterns of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Japan. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, single-center, consecutive case series. METHODS: We compared two groups of RRD patients, a COVID-19 pandemic group and a control group. Based on the local alert levels in Nagano, five periods during the COVID-19 pandemic were further analyzed: epidemic 1 (state of emergency), inter-epidemic 1, epidemic 2 (second epidemic duration), inter-epidemic 2, and epidemic 3 (third epidemic duration). Patients' characteristics, including symptoms' duration before visiting our hospital, macula status, and retinal detachment (RD) recurrence rate in each period, were compared with those in a control group. RESULTS: There were 78 patients in the pandemic group and 208 in the control group. The pandemic group had a longer duration of symptoms than the control group (12.0 ± 13.5 days vs. 8.9 ± 14.7 days, P = 0.0045). During the epidemic 1 period, patients had a higher rate of macula-off RRD (71.4% vs. 48.6%) and RD recurrence (28.6% vs. 4.8%) than the control group. This period also demonstrated the highest rates compared to all other periods in the pandemic group. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, RRD patients significantly delayed visiting a surgical facility. They showed a higher rate of macula-off and recurrence compared to the control group during the state of emergency than during other periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the difference was not statistically significant due to the small sample size.

Trends in Utilization of Vitreoretinal Services Following the Initial Phase of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: To identify vitreoretinal practice patterns in the months following the initial 2020 national shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (US). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of vitreoretinal practice patterns from multiple retinal centers across the US from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. RESULTS: The lowest utilization of retina care occurred during the week of March 23, 2020, after which utilization returned to pre-pandemic levels by July 2020. Patients with retinal detachments (RDs) presented with worse visual acuity during March, April, and May 2020 compared to the same time periods of 2018 and 2019 (P values < 0.05). However, only comparing eyes that presented in March 2018 to March 2020, was the year 1 vision significantly worse (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted vitreoretinal care. The vision of patients with RDs may not have been affected by the delayed presentation. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:15-23.].

Evolving Trends for the Clinical Presentation of Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments From Early to Late Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact on trends in clinical presentation of acute, primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) from early to late phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was a single-center, consecutive case series of 1,727 patients treated after vaccine availability ("late"; 3/29/21 to 9/26/21), corresponding time frame in previous year of pandemic ("early"; 3/30/20 to 9/27/20), and prior to pandemic ("pre"; 4/1/19 to 9/29/19). Primary outcome was proportion of patients presenting with macula-off RRD. Secondary outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and primary proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). RESULTS: While macula-off RRD rates were significantly (P < 0.0001) elevated in early and late cohorts compared to the pre cohort, only the early cohort showed a significant (P < 0.0001) increase in both primary PVR presentation and complex RRD repair. Patients lost to follow-up in early cohort were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher than others. Early cohort showed significantly (P < 0.0001) worse final BCVA compared to others. CONCLUSION: Patients in late pandemic were less likely to exhibit clinical features of worse RRD disease and have improved visual outcomes compared to those in early pandemic. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:78-83.].

Incidence and characteristics of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment during coronavirus-19 pandemic: A French study.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown on the number and clinical characteristics of patients with retinal detachment (RD) in a French public university eye hospital. METHODS: Single-center, retrospective non-interventional study. Patients consulting at the emergency room (ER) of Quinze-Vingts Hospital (France) for rhegmatogenous RD before and after instauration of the lockdown were reviewed. We compared the characteristics of patients with RD between the containment period (March17th - April27th,2020) and the period preceding the lockdown (February18th - March16th,2020). We compared the number of RD surgeries performed between the first month of lockdown (March17th - April19th,2020) and the corresponding period of 2019. Number of cases, delay between diagnosis and surgery, visual acuity was measured. RESULTS: During the first month of lockdown, 59 RDs were operated on, compared to 107 in the corresponding period in 2019 (-44,8%). Mean time from first symptoms to surgery was significantly higher during the lockdown 12.7 (11.3) days vs 7.6 (7.8) days (p = 0.031) before. During the lockdown, the mean BCVA was lower albeit the difference did not reach statistical significance (1.16 (0.9) during pre-containment vs 1.5 (0.9) during containment; p = 0.09). Reasonsfor delayed consultation were: fear of Covid-19 (31%; p = 0.0001), absence of referral doctor (31%; p = 0.003) and difficulties in getting to public transport (10.3%;p = 0.859). CONCLUSION: Despite maintaining accessto emergency eye care facilitiesin our hospital, the lockdown affected visual health. Should the lockdown be reinstated, we postulate that a better information about eye care access for non-Covid emergencies may attenuate its effect on visual health.

Clinical patterns of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment during the first state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic in a Tokyo center.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is disturbing and overwhelming a regular medical care in the world. We evaluated the clinical characteristics of patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) during the state of emergency for COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. We also reviewed measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in our institute with a focus on RRD treatment. Retrospectively, patients who underwent initial RRD surgery during the state of emergency between April 7, 2020 and May 25, 2020 were included. For comparison, we recruited patients who underwent surgery for initial RRD during the same period in the last 2 years (2018 and 2019). Data related to the number of surgeries, age, gender, macular detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), preoperative visual acuity, surgical techniques, the time between the onset and hospitalization and/or surgery of the 2020 cohort were analyzed and compared with those of the 2018 and 2019 cohorts. Furthermore, we reviewed measures taken against COVID-19 in our institute. The number of RRD patients during the state of emergency tended to be lower than that within the last 2 years. Relatively lesser female (vs. male) patients were observed in the 2020 cohort than in the last 2 years (P = 0.084). In contrast, among all cohorts, no significant differences were observed in the incidence of macula-off and PVR, preoperative visual acuity, and the time period between symptom onset and hospitalization and/or surgery. This is the first report to show the clinical patterns of RRD during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Despite the state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic, no delay in the patient's initial visit to the hospital and surgery was observed. Further studies, including multicenter researches, are important for investigating the influence of COVID-19 on urgent ocular diseases.

Trends in the Clinical Presentation of Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of 1 full year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on clinical presentation of acute, primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). DESIGN: Single-center, retrospective observational cohort study. METHODS: Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: consecutive patients treated for primary RRD during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 9, 2020, to March 7, 2021; pandemic cohort) and patients treated during the corresponding time in previous year (March 11, 2019, to March 8, 2020; control cohort). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of patients presenting with macula-involving (mac-off) or macula-sparring (mac-on) RRD. RESULTS: A total of 952 patients in the pandemic cohort and 872 patients in the control cohort were included. Demographic factors were similar. Compared with the control cohort, a significantly greater number of pandemic cohort patients presented with mac-off RRDs ([60.92%] pandemic, [48.17%] control, P = .0001) and primary proliferative vitreoretinopathy ([15.53%] pandemic, [6.9%] control, P = .0001). Pandemic cohort patients (10.81%) had significantly higher rates of lost to follow-up compared with the control cohort (4.43%; P = .0001). Patients new to our clinic demonstrated a significant increase in mac-off RRDs in the pandemic cohort (65.35%) compared with the control cohort (50.40%; P = .0001). Pandemic cohort patients showed worse median final best-corrected visual acuity (0.30 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) compared with the control cohort (0.18 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution; P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with primary RRD during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to have mac-off disease, present with primary proliferative vitreoretinopathy, be lost to follow-up, and have worse final best-corrected visual acuity outcomes.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Surgical Primary Retinal Detachments.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation characteristics, timings, and surgical decisions for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). METHODS: A historical cohort including all patients who presented to the Surgical Retina Section at Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (CHUPorto), over a 2-year period, was recruited and divided into 2 groups: pre-COVID and COVID groups. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was recorded as starting on March 18, 2020, the same day the first pandemic-related lockdown came to effect in Portugal. RESULTS: This study enrolled 449 eyes of 443 patients: 272 in the pre-COVID group and 177 in the COVID one. Of the patients, 63.6% were male, and the mean ± SD age was 63.0 ± 13.2 years (range 13-92 years). Of the eyes, 55.5% (n = 151) presented with macular detachment in the pre-COVID group compared with 66.9% (n = 119) in the COVID group (odds ratio [OR] 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-3.86; p = 0.016). The time from symptom onset to hospital admission (p = 0.021) and from admission to surgery (p < 0.001) was longer in the COVID era. In the COVID period, silicone oil (OR 2.03, 95% CI: 1.09-3.79, p = 0.025) and C3F8 gas (OR 2.42, 95% CI: 1.57-3.71, p < 0.001) were used more often. No differences in anatomical success or final visual acuity were found. CONCLUSIONS: The lockdown due to COVID pandemic affected the epidemiology of RRD. The services must adapt to the novel reality and produce backup plans for similar events. Despite the contingencies, the final results were not different between groups.

The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment treatment patterns.

BACKGROUNDS: To describe changes in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgical procedures in Beijing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of RRD patients was analyzed. Patients were divided into the COVID-19 pandemic group and pre-COVID-19 group according to their presentation. The presurgery characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgery outcomes were collected. The potential factors related to the choice of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) or scleral buckling (SB) were analyzed using logistic regression. The differences in the procedure choice under specific conditions were compared. Surgery outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the COVID-19 pandemic group, less patients received SB (27.8, 41.3%, p = 0.02) while more patients received PPV (72.2, 58.6%, p = 0.02); in patients who received SB, fewer patients received subretinal fluid drainage (45.4,75.7%, p = 0.01); in patients who received PPV, fewer patients received phacovitrectomy (7.0, 21.0%, p = 0.02). The choice of PPV was related to older age (1.03, p = 0.005), the presence of RRD with choroidal detachment (RRD-CD) (2.92, p = 0.03), pseudophakia (5.0, p = 0.002), retinal breaks located posterior to the equator (4.87, p < 0.001), macular holes (9.76, p = 0.005), and a presurgery visual acuity (VA) less than 0.02 (0.44, p = 0.03). Fewer phakia patients with retinal breaks located posterior to the equator (1/28, 11/30, p = 0.01) and fewer patients with chronic RRD and subretinal strand (1/9, 9/16, p = 0.03) received SB in the COVID-19 pandemic group. There were more patients with improved VA (55.7, 40.2%, p = 0.03) in the COVID-19 pandemic group. The overall single-surgery retinal attachment rate was similar in the two groups (94.9, 94.5%, p = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the main reason for the increased number of PPV in RRD treatment was that more complicated cases were presented. However, the surgeons were conservative in procedure choice in specific cases. The adjustments on RRD treatments lead to comparable surgery outcomes.

Incidence and surgical care of retinal detachment during the first SARS-CoV-2 lockdown period at a tertiary referral center in Austria.

PURPOSE: To assess the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in spring on frequency, severity and quality of care of rhegmatogeneous retinal detachments (RRD) in a tertiary referral center in Vienna, Austria. METHODS: Single center, consecutive case series with historical controls. Patients presenting with primary RRD during the first Austrian SARS-CoV-2 lockdown (March 16th-May 3rd 2020) and a corresponding control group consisting of the same time period of the preceding 3 years. RESULTS: The mean number of patients with RD in the reference group (RG) was 22 (± 1) and in the lockdown group (LG) 15. Median total delay, defined as onset of symptoms until surgery, in the RG was 5 (lower quartile: 3.0; upper quartile: 8.0) compared to 7 (3.0; 12.0) days in the LG, (p = 0.740). During the lockdown 67% of patients were referred from an external ophthalmologist compared to 52% in the RG, (p = 0.395). 34% of patients in the RG presented with an attached macula compared to 33% in the LG (p = 0.597). PVR was present in 49% of cases in the RG compared to 73% in the LG. Single surgery success (SSS) rates were lower in the LG (73.3%) compared to the RG (85.3%), (p = 0.275). CONCLUSION: Patients with RRD during the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown presented and were treated within acceptable time limits, showed the same macula-on ratios but a higher PVR rate and a tendency towards worse SSS rates compared to the time period of the preceding 3 years.

The risk factors of the progression of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment on patients with the fourteen-day quarantine in the early period of COVID-19 outbreak.

BACKGROUNDS: The COVID-19 Pandemic has a great impact on hospitals and patients. The 14-day quarantine caused surgery of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) postponed. We aimed to explore the risk factors of RRD progression in a group of patients whose surgery was postponed during the top-level emergency response of COVID-19. METHODS: A retrospective case series. Medical records of all consecutive patients with a diagnosis of RRD who underwent a surgical treatment at Beijing Tongren Hospital's retina service from February 16, 2020, to April 30, 2020 have been reviewed retrospectively. Medical history, symptoms, and clinical signs of progression of RRD were recorded. RRD progression was defined as the presence of either choroidal detachment or proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) progression during the quarantine period. Risk factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model, survival analysis, and logistic regression. RESULTS: Seventy-nine eyes of 79 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The median time from the patients' presentation at the clinic to admission for surgery was 14 days (3-61 days). There were 70 cases (88.6%) who did not present to the hospital within 1 week of the onset of visual symptoms. There were 69 (87.3%) macular-off cases at the presentation and 27 (34.2%) cases combined with choroidal detachment. There were 49 (62.0%) cases with PVR B, 22 (27.8%) cases with PVR C, 4 (5.1%) cases with PVR D, and 4 (5.1%) cases with anterior PVR. After the 14-day quarantine, 21 (26.6%) cases showed RRD progression, and 9 cases showed RRD regression at the time of surgery. Neither the time of onset of the visual symptom (p = 0.46) nor the time between presentation and admission (p = 0.31) was significantly different between the patients with RRD progression and patients without RRD progression. The combination of choroidal detachment (3.07, 1.68-5.60, p<0.001) and retinal breaks located posterior to the equator (3.79, 1.21-11.80, p=0.02) were factors related to the progression of RRD. CONCLUSIONS: In our study during the COVID-19 outbreak, the RRD progression risk factors included a combination of choroidal detachment and retinal breaks posterior to the equator. Ophthalmologists should schedule the surgeries for RRD patients with these signs as soon as possible.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on characteristics of retinal detachments: the Canadian experience.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the characteristics of retinal detachments (RD) at a tertiary centre. DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and ninety eyes of 188 patients with primary, rhegmatogenous RD. METHODS: Patients with RD who presented over a 1-year period (September 14, 2019 to September 13, 2020). The relationship between demographic, anatomic, and visual acuity parameters were compared before and after onset of the pandemic using generalized estimating equations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Macular status and corrected distance visual acuity on presentation. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-seven eyes, divided into 2 cohorts: pre-COVID (n = 100 September 14, 2019 to March 13, 2020) and post-COVID (n = 87, March 14, 2020 to September 13, 2020). Of the eyes, 63.2% (n = 87) presented with macular detachment in the post-COVID group compared with 45% (n = 100) in the pre-COVID group (odds ration [OR], 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.19-3.86; p = 0.011). As well, eyes in the pre-pandemic cohort had significantly fewer detached quadrants on initial examination (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.30-0.93; p = 0.026). Patients in the post-COVID group had a significantly worse corrected distance visual acuity at baseline (mean difference [MD] = -0.35 logMAR, 95% CI, -0.60 to -0.09; p = 0.008), but not at 1 month or at final follow-up. No differences were seen between groups with respect to demographics, lens status, treatment, time to presentation, or chronicity. Pneumatic retinopexy was the most commonly performed procedure in both cohorts, with a 71.5% success rate. CONCLUSIONS: Closures after the COVID-19 pandemic affected the characteristics of RDs at presentation with respect to macular detachment, extent of RD, and presenting visual acuity. At final follow-up, final visual acuity and anatomic outcomes were similar between the 2 groups. These data are helpful for future patient education, triaging, and treatment decision making.

Changing clinical patterns of Rhegmatogeneous Retinal Detachments during the COVID19 pandemic lockdown in the North West of the UK.

INTRODUCTION: The UK Government imposed a COVID19 lockdown (LD) restricting all but essential activities from 24th March 2020. Subsequently, there has been a significant reduction in casualty attendances nationwide including for ophthalmic emergencies. We aim to study the presentation of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) and significant vitreous haemorrhage caused by posterior vitreous detachment (PVD-VH) in three tertiary centres covering most of the North West of England in the 6 weeks before and during the lockdown. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter non-randomised consecutive case series study was designed to collect information on all cases of RRD and PVD-VH requiring surgery presenting to the vitreoretinal departments of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, East Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust and the Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust from 11th February to 4th May 2020. RESULTS: A total of 137 eyes of 137 patients were identified between the three centres of which 132 eyes were operated for RRD. Of these, 86 (64.7%) were operated pre-LD compared with 46 eyes (34.8%) during LD. Forty-five out of 86 eyes (52.3%) were macula-off pre-LD compared with 31 out of 46 eyes (67.3%) during LD (p = 0.06). There was lower proportion of non-PVD related RRD during LD (11 pre-LD to 1 during LD, p = 0.05). PVR was present in four cases during LD compared to 2 before (p = 0.19). CONCLUSION: There was a clinically significant reduction in the overall incidence of RRD in our centres with an increase in the proportion of macula-off and proliferative vitreoretinopathy during the LD period compared to a similar period before.

Clinical Presentation of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Historical Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the clinical presentation of acute, primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). DESIGN: Single-center, consecutive case series with historical controls. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients seeking treatment for primary RRD in a 50-day period during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 9-April 27, 2020) and the corresponding 50-day period during the previous year (March 4-April 22, 2019) in the United States. METHODS: The cohorts were compared to assess demographic variables and clinical presentations. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors predictive of presenting macular attachment status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with macula-on RRD at presentation. Secondary outcomes included visual acuity (VA), duration of symptoms before presentation, proportion seeking treatment within 1 day of symptom onset, and presence of primary proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were included in the 2020 cohort compared with 111 patients in the 2019 primary control cohort. Demographic factors were similar between the groups. Significantly fewer patients demonstrated macula-on RRD in the 2020 cohort (20/82 patients [24.4%]) than in the 2019 cohort (55/111 patients [49.5%]; P = 0.001). Patients in the 2020 cohort showed worse median VA at presentation (1.00 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR; Snellen equivalent, 20/200] in 2020 vs. 0.48 logMAR [Snellen equivalent, 20/60] in 2019; P = 0.008), fewer patients sought treatment within 1 day of symptoms (16/80 patients [19.5%] in 2020 vs. 41/106 patients [36.9%] in 2019; P = 0.005), and a greater proportion demonstrated primary PVR (11/82 patients [13.4%] in 2020 vs. 5/111 patients [4.5%] in 2019; P = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, younger age (P = 0.03) and established patient status (P = 0.02) were independent predictors of macula-on status in the 2020 cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with primary RRD during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to have macula-on disease and more likely to delay seeking treatment and to show worse vision and PVR.

[Treatment of retinal detachment during the COVID-19 pandemic : Did patients with retinal detachment seek treatment later during the COVID-19 pandemic? Results from a German university eye hospital]. / Amotio-retinae-Versorgung während der Corona-Pandemie : Suchten Patienten mit Netzhautablösung während der Corona-Pandemie später den Augenarzt auf? Ergebnisse aus einer deutschen Universitätsaugenklinik.

BACKGROUND: Retinal detachment is an ophthalmological emergency. Delayed diagnostics and treatment increase the risk of permanent loss of vision. Current media reports have suggested that patients with medical emergencies delay seeking treatment out of fear of being infected with the corona virus SARS-CoV­2. This study analyzed data from a German university hospital to determine if the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on treatment and visual outcomes of patients with retinal detachment. METHODS: In this study 60 patients treated for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in the eye hospital of the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf between 15 March and 5 May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients from the corresponding period of the previous year acted as a control group. Significant differences between the groups were investigated by hypothesis testing. RESULTS: When compared to the period in the previous year there were no significant differences for sex, age, eye, length of symptoms, previous visit to doctor, visual acuity, macula status, degree of retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy and type or length of procedure during the coronavirus pandemic. Of the patients with retinal detachment 29% had general health concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic. CONCLUSION: Medical treatment for retinal detachment was not influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. In contrast to other medical emergencies the morbidity of retinal detachment did not increase and admitted cases did not decrease during the pandemic when compared to the same period in the previous year.