Assessment of temporal and spatial distribution patterns of aerosol produced by air-puff non-contact tonometer.
Eur J Ophthalmol
; 32(5): 3012-3018, 2022 Sep.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1551160
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To assess the distribution pattern of aerosol in the aspect of time and direction during the intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement by air-puff non-contact tonometer (NCT) and further offer references for protection from coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in the routine ophthalmic examination.METHOD:
A single-center observational study was conducted in the ophthalmology clinics of Peking University Third Hospital. Two air quality detectors were equipped to assess the generated particulate matter (PM) concentration simultaneously within 30â s after IOP measurement in the outpatient hall. Detector A was fixed next to the NCT as a reference, while Detector B was fixed 1 meter away. The participants were divided into two groups depending on the position of Detector B. The generation of aerosol was compared within different groups and time intervals.RESULTS:
144 participants were enrolled in the final analysis. At a 1â m distance from the NCT, the PM2.5 concentration significantly increased at the 30â s (Z = 2.898, Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.038) while the PM10 concentration increased immediately after the IOP measurement (Z = 2.967, Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.030). The PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at 1â m were significantly higher immediately (Z = -2.183, P = 0.029; Z = -2.502, P = 0.012) and 30â s (Z = -2.021, P = 0.043; Z = -2.071, P = 0.038) after the IOP measurements when the Detector B was vertical to the air jet on the lateral side.CONCLUSIONS:
NCT may produce aerosol after the IOP measurement by air-puff. The generated PM2.5 had a prolonged existence compared with PM10 at a 1â m distance. The lateral side of the air-puff direction may be of higher exposure risk to aerosol.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Tonometry, Ocular
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Eur J Ophthalmol
Journal subject:
Ophthalmology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
11206721211054727
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