The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits
ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the profile of emergency eye-related visits and compare the findings with the same period before the pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study performed during one year at a reference eye hospital. Cases registered at the emerge...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sociedade Brasileira de Oftalmologia
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-72802023000100223&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797673907594985472 |
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| author | Julia de Avila Fowler Arthur Gustavo Fernandes Rafael Cunha de Almeida Glaucia Luciano da Veiga Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca Vagner Loduca Lima |
| author_facet | Julia de Avila Fowler Arthur Gustavo Fernandes Rafael Cunha de Almeida Glaucia Luciano da Veiga Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca Vagner Loduca Lima |
| author_sort | Julia de Avila Fowler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the profile of emergency eye-related visits and compare the findings with the same period before the pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study performed during one year at a reference eye hospital. Cases registered at the emergency Municipal Hospital Complex of Santo Andre, Brazil, between March, 2019 and February, 2020 were included in the study as the Pre-pandemic group. Cases registered between March, 2020 and February, 2021 were included as the Pandemic group. Cases were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 and Related Health Problems. Results There was a decrease of 52.1% in the emergency eye care visits during the pandemic period (n=9,198) when compared to the pre-pandemic period (n=19,220), with significant reductions in nonspecific cases (-98.1%), postoperative visits (-67.0%), disorders of the conjunctiva (-54.1%), tear film (-49.4%) and refraction (-85.6%) during the pandemic period. Conditions such as retina disorders (+202.7%), sclera disorders (+76.2%), orbit disorders (+20.2%), glaucoma (+66.6%) and trauma (+19.4%) have shown increased rates, as well as those related to eyelids (+186.9%), cornea (+33.4%), uvea (+40.2%), and herpes (+55.3%). Conclusion A drastic reduction in the number of eye-related emergency visits was observed during the Covid-19 pandemic, outlining a new profile of care, with higher frequency of sight-threatening conditions and lower frequency of contagious and non-specific diagnosis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:52:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32844d76155240eabde2191dc3cee07f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1982-8551 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:52:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Brasileira de Oftalmologia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia |
| spelling | doaj.art-32844d76155240eabde2191dc3cee07f2023-09-26T07:42:42ZengSociedade Brasileira de OftalmologiaRevista Brasileira de Oftalmologia1982-85512023-09-018210.37039/1982.8551.20230046The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visitsJulia de Avila Fowlerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7945-4512Arthur Gustavo Fernandeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7525-1838Rafael Cunha de Almeidahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5920-3695Glaucia Luciano da Veigahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6097-2341Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonsecahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1223-1589Vagner Loduca Limahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2342-8638ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the profile of emergency eye-related visits and compare the findings with the same period before the pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study performed during one year at a reference eye hospital. Cases registered at the emergency Municipal Hospital Complex of Santo Andre, Brazil, between March, 2019 and February, 2020 were included in the study as the Pre-pandemic group. Cases registered between March, 2020 and February, 2021 were included as the Pandemic group. Cases were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 and Related Health Problems. Results There was a decrease of 52.1% in the emergency eye care visits during the pandemic period (n=9,198) when compared to the pre-pandemic period (n=19,220), with significant reductions in nonspecific cases (-98.1%), postoperative visits (-67.0%), disorders of the conjunctiva (-54.1%), tear film (-49.4%) and refraction (-85.6%) during the pandemic period. Conditions such as retina disorders (+202.7%), sclera disorders (+76.2%), orbit disorders (+20.2%), glaucoma (+66.6%) and trauma (+19.4%) have shown increased rates, as well as those related to eyelids (+186.9%), cornea (+33.4%), uvea (+40.2%), and herpes (+55.3%). Conclusion A drastic reduction in the number of eye-related emergency visits was observed during the Covid-19 pandemic, outlining a new profile of care, with higher frequency of sight-threatening conditions and lower frequency of contagious and non-specific diagnosis.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-72802023000100223&lng=en&tlng=enCovid-19Coronavirus infectionsPandemicsEmergenciesEmergency medical servicesEpidemiologyOphthalmologySocial distancingBrazil |
| spellingShingle | Julia de Avila Fowler Arthur Gustavo Fernandes Rafael Cunha de Almeida Glaucia Luciano da Veiga Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca Vagner Loduca Lima The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits Revista Brasileira de Oftalmologia Covid-19 Coronavirus infections Pandemics Emergencies Emergency medical services Epidemiology Ophthalmology Social distancing Brazil |
| title | The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits |
| title_full | The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits |
| title_fullStr | The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits |
| title_short | The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on eye-related emergency visits |
| title_sort | effects of the covid 19 pandemic on eye related emergency visits |
| topic | Covid-19 Coronavirus infections Pandemics Emergencies Emergency medical services Epidemiology Ophthalmology Social distancing Brazil |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-72802023000100223&lng=en&tlng=en |
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