Objective: To assess the experiences of ophthalmologists who continued elective cataract surgery practices in Turkey in the post-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period and to examine the changes they made in their clinical practices during this period. Material and Methods: A self-administrated online 22-question survey was disseminated to ophthalmologists in Turkey who resumed cataract surgery practice. Data about the demographics, occupational risk, changes in their practice regarding elective cataract surgery performance pre/per/post-operatively due to COVID-19 risk was collected. Results: One-hundred twenty-two ophthalmologists completed the survey. Two (1.6%) participants reported hospitalization for being infected with COVID-19. Comorbidity (34; 27.9%) and age (16; 13.1%) were the leading patient characteristics when determining the indication for surgery. Ninety-two (75.4%) of the respondents declared using COVID19 screening utilities pre-operatively. The majority (94; 77.1%) did not report any changes from the routine phacoemulsification technique. The mean waiting duration between the surgeries were 35.4±18.0 (15- 60) minutes and 75.4% (92) reported the daily count for surgery as 1 to 4. Reducing the duration of hospitalization (26; 21.3%) and decreasing the frequency of follow-up visits (14; 11.5%) were the main postoperative adaptations. Conclusion: The variability of the survey answers from ophthalmologists working in different centers demonstrate the lack of a consensus about the cataract surgery implementations in the post-pandemic recovery period. Timely implementation of clear official guidelines about surgery practices with necessary updates can help decrease both the concerns of ophthalmic surgeons and the viral spread.
Keywords: Coronavirus; COVID-19; pandemic; outbreak; cataract surgery
Amaç: Koronavirüs hastalığı-2019 [coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)] pandemisi sonrasındaki süreçte Türkiye'de elektif katarakt cerrahisi uygulamalarına devam eden göz hekimlerinin tecrübelerini değerlendirmek ve bu dönemde klinik uygulamalarında yaptıkları değişiklikleri incelemek. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Toplam 22 sorudan oluşan bir anket, Türkiye'nin çeşitli bölgelerinde katarakt cerrahisi uygulamalarına devam eden göz hekimlerine internet üzerinden iletilmiştir. Demografik veriler, mesleki risk, elektif katarakt cerrahisinde pre/per/post-operatif uygulamalarda COVID-19 bulaş riskine karşı yapılan değişiklikler hakkındaki veriler kaydedilmiştir. Bulgular: Anket toplam 122 göz hastalıkları uzmanı tarafından cevaplanmıştır. İki (%1,6) katılımcı tarafından COVID-19 enfeksiyonuna bağlı hastaneye yatış öyküsü bildirilmiştir. Katarakt cerrahisi için endikasyon belirlerken katılımcılar tarafından en çok dikkate alınan özellikler; komorbidite (34; %27,9) ve yaş (16; %13,1) olarak saptanmıştır. Pre-operatif olarak COVID-19 tarama testlerini uyguladığını belirten katılımcı sayısı 92 (%75,4) olmuştur. Katılımcıların çoğunluğu (94; %77,1) rutin fakoemülsifikasyon tekniğinde herhangi bir değişiklik yapmadığını belirtmiştir. Vakalar arası ortalama bekleme süresi 35,4±18,0 (15-60) dk olarak hesaplanmıştır ve katılımcıların %75,4'ü (92) günlük vaka sayılarını 1-4 arası olarak bildirmiştir. Hastanede kalış süresinin kısaltılması (26; %21,3) ve post-operatif takip vizitlerinin sıklığının azaltılması (14; %11,5) en sık uygulanan post-operatif değişiklikler olmuştur. Sonuç: Farklı merkezlerde çalışmakta olan göz hastalıkları uzmanlarından alınan yanıtların oldukça çeşitlilik göstermesi, pandemi sonrası toparlanma sürecinde katarakt cerrahisi uygulamaları hakkında bir konsensusun bulunmadığını göstermektedir. Bu zorlu süreçte, cerrahi uygulamalar hakkında gerektikçe güncellenen belirli bir kılavuzun oluşturulması, hem göz hekimlerinin endişelerinin hem de virüs yayılımının azaltılması açısından faydalı olacaktır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Koronavirüs; COVID-19; pandemi; salgın; katarakt cerrahisi
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