Dear Colleagues Across the world, we are dealing with an unprecedented crisis in an ever-changing environment which is fraught with uncertainty. After much careful evaluation, ESCRS has decided that, regrettably, it will not be possible to hold a live congress in Amsterdam in October. Instead, ESCRS will host a Virtual Meeting planned from Friday 2 […]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ESCRS has decided that for the safety of its members, delegates, industry partners and staff, it will not be possible to hold the 38th Congress of the ESCRS as a live event in Amsterdam in October.
The society will now hold a major online meeting from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, 2020.

Young ophthalmologists appear to be among the specialists most at risk for clinical exposure to SARS-CoV-2, Royce Chen MD and colleagues surveyed residency programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City to investigate the effect of the pandemic.

TeraGroup, an Israeli company, is working with the Israeli Ministry of Defense Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT) to develop a breathalyser test for COVID-19. In a recent television news segment, researchers involved in the project reported that they are making promising progress.

Universal precautions, reorganising office and workflows reduce COVID risk

The COVID-19 pandemic in India provided an unexpected but timely opportunity to ramp up tele-ophthalmology applications in order to ensure that paediatric patients received appropriate care during the lockdown,

Jordi Monés, M.D., Ph.D, Barcelona, Spain says that while telemedicine could play an enhanced role to play in the future, it has limitations and should not be seen as a panacea to relieving scheduling backlogs.

We have some cause for optimism in today’s newsletter as governments across Europe and America loosen restrictions on the movements of their citizens and our colleagues make plans to open their practices for elective surgery and routine patient visits

Izzet Can MD, President of the Turkish Ophthalmological Association, shares his thoughts and plans for the future of ophthalmology

A multi-faceted and proactive approach that includes deploying mobile clinics and home visits where necessary has helped to ensure that the majority of patients with retinal disease are still receiving treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tel Aviv, Israel

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the national screening centre and main site for management of COVID-19 patients in Singapore, has developed strategies and guidelines t to maintain a sustainable ophthalmology practice during the pandemic.

Hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir-ritonavir, a combination of two antiretroviral drugs, are among the many pharmacologic agents being looked at as treatments for COVID-19. Studies investigating the potential efficacy of these interventions failed to meet their primary endpoint.

With Poland currently introducing a phased relaxation of the lockdown restrictions put in place to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic, the country’s ophthalmologists are preparing for a challenging and vastly transformed work environment in the weeks and months ahead.

We have some cause for optimism in today’s newsletter as governments across Europe and America loosen restrictions on the movements of their citizens and our colleagues make plans to open their practices for elective surgery and routine patient visits

Authors of a Viewpoint published online in JAMA on May 6, 2020 provide an overview of diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2. In their article, Dr Nandini Sethuraman et al explain test methodologies, review performance, and provide a graphical depiction of how the testing results may vary over time. As a caveat for interpreting testing, they note […]

A study following a small series of patients indicates that individuals considered to have recovered from COVID-19 may still be carrying the virus.

A new point-of-care test for COVID-19 that generates a result in just over one hour without the need for laboratory processing is becoming available in the UK.

Paul Ursell MD, FRCOphth, a consultant ophthalmologist at Epsom & St Helier University NHS Trust, Surrey, United Kingdom, has come up with a system specifically designed for the 1,000 or so cataract patients on his waiting list.

Italy is emerging slowly from the COVID-19 lockdown measures. Dr Francesco Carones acknowledges that it will take time for his clinic to match his number of pre-COVID procedures.

The speed and extent of the recovery of services in Slovenia will depend on the epidemiological situation and patients’ discipline, according to Prof Marko Hawlina MD and Vladimir Pfeifer MD

The ESCRS COVID-19 survey on the practice patterns of ophthalmologists was conducted from April 5 to April 24 . These graphs show some of the key findings from the survey.

The ESCRS COVID-19 survey shows that in general (Q6) ophthalmology clinics have been shut down across Europe with the exception of emergency surgeries.

We have some cause for optimism in today’s newsletter as governments across Europe and America loosen restrictions on the movements of their citizens and our colleagues make plans to open their practices for elective surgery and routine patient visits

The ESCRS COVID-19 survey on the practice patterns of ophthalmologists conducted from April 5 to April 24 offers us some valuable insights into the issues which have been addressed by ophthalmologists since the outbreak of the pandemic.

As appointments fill up, Dr Roberto Bellucci says it will be necessary to expand patient care hours to accommodate the volume and new scheduling plan.

Roche Diagnostics has developed a serology test for detecting antibodies to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19.

In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to have a lot of interactions online in conference calls all around the world. It seems that now you don’t need to leave home to interact, you don’t even need to leave your chair.

A paper published online in JAMA on April 22 reports the characteristics for 5700 consecutive COVID-19 patients hospitalised in the New York City area along with outcomes data for approximately one-half of the cohort.

Authors of a recent study determined that COVID-19 might be most transmissible before infected individuals even develop symptoms. 

Conducted by Xi He MD, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China, and colleagues, the research was published online in the journal Nature Medicine on April 15, 2020. 

Jesper Hjortdal MD, PhD With emergency admissions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic under control for the moment, one of Denmark’s larger ophthalmological centres has been able to return to elective surgery ahead of most other European countries. Jesper Hjortdal MD, PhD, told EuroTimes that the eye department where he works at Aarhus University Hospital, which […]

An online survey of ophthalmologists in India provided a snapshot of current practices within the first week after the government ordered a total lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.