Patients feel safe returning to surgery but overreaction to COVID pandemic could cause economic downturn

With tele-ophthalmology already gaining traction in recent years as an effective eyecare delivery modality worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has served to further amplify this trend

Lessons learnt from New York in the COVID-19 pandemic

We will host our first ESCRS Virtual Congress on Friday 2 October through Sunday 4 October. This year’s meeting will feature cutting edge research in a highly interactive setting, with online messaging available from your home or office.

Pavel Stodulka MD, PhD, Czech Republic, explains how he and his clinic assembled a hand-made UV air steriliser to sterilise the air in the waiting area. In a second video, he shows two upgrades to improve the efficiency of the device, which can be put together in two hours.

Sidath E Liyanage and Kieren Darcy of Bristol Eye Hospital assess visible aerosol generation during vitrectomy in the era of COVID-19.

Cataract surgery produces no aerosolisation and is therefore unlikely to spread COVID-19, making it safe to perform with reasonable precautions, according to studies by Professor Rohit Shetty MD, PhD, FRCS, and colleagues from Narayana Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Bangalore, India.

Neil S Sharma BSc(Med), MBBS(Hons), MMed, MPH, FRANZCO, Sydney Australia, and his team developed a slit-lamp shield. To test the effectiveness of the shield, they simulated the spread of droplets and aerosols via patient cough using fluorescent dye, with a clinician wearing a mask and face shield tested with and without the additional slit lamp […]

Carlo Vanetti MD, Milan, Italy, demonstrates how the use of a clear adhesive drape, normally used for spinal anaesthesia, can create a “tent” that can insulate the surgeon and assistant from the ultrasound spray during phacoemulsification. The drape is attached to the microscope and provides a safe space in which to work.

Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, Professor of Haematology, University of Liverpool and Academic Vice President, Royal College of Physicians discusses blood pattern changes in COVID-19 patients, signifying which changes are relevant to prognosis and how care can be improved through research.

We will host our first ESCRS Virtual Congress on Friday 2 October through Sunday 4 October. This year’s meeting will feature cutting edge research in a highly interactive setting, with online messaging available from your home or office.

Covid 19 has left no country or surgical practice untouched, but with a very wide variation in national severity, writes Professor David Spalton. As we get back to work, Drs Guy Sallet, Florian Kretz, Jorge Alio, Filomena Ribeiro and Mayak Nanavaty examine this case involving a 76 year old man referred for routine cataract surgery

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 October to Sunday 4 October

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.

Modification of practice has to be reviewed based on new evidence & evolution of local situations. We need to share and learn from each other in order to win this battle against a virus that knows no religion, race, colour or creed.

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.