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.

Arthur Cummings FRCSEd, Wellington Eye Clinic & Beacon Hospital, Dublin, Ireland looks at the changing landscape of ophthalmic practice after the COVID-19 epidemic

Dear Colleagues, Today we bring you the first results of our COVID-19 survey, which was taken from April 5 to April 24. We are grateful to all of you who responded and will share the results over the next few weeks. In general, we see that ophthalmology clinics have been shut down across Europe with the […]

Philippe Sourdille MD, Nantes, France and a Past President of ESCRS, says clear communication is the key to reassuring patients.

Ophthalmologists are ready and waiting to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, says Sorcha Ní Dhubhghaill MB PhD MRCSI(Ophth) FEBO, Anterior Segment Ophthalmic Surgeon,Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS) and Antwerp University Hospital

In reply to a presentation from Philip Bloom, president of the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery on Managing a glaucoma service during COVID-19 (https://www.eurotimes.org/running-a-glaucoma-service-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/) and the position of UKISCRS on AGPs, we received correspondence from Rashmi Nigram.

Review finds lack of aggressive respiratory support in majority of patients dying from COVID-19-induced pneumonia An analysis of patients who died of pneumonia related to COVID-19 identified delayed intubation as a possible factor. The report, which was published April 1, 2020 [Xie J, et al. JAMA Netw Open. Apr 1;3(4):e205619], analysed characteristics of 168 patients […]

Findings from studies conducted to understand the aerosol transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the viral pathogen cause of COVID-19, provide a basis of recommendations for preventing infection spread.