Ophthalmology practice during COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of Indian ophthalmologists

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the ophthalmic practice pattern among ophthalmologists in India amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online questionnaire-based analysis was performed among members of the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) and results were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: A total of 2253 responses were received. The majority of the participants (72.6%) were between 30 and 60 years of age and were into private practice (64.7%). During the lockdown, over one-third of participant ophthalmologists reported not attending any OPD patients, whereas a majority (64%) provided only emergency ophthalmic services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 5/10) by the AIOS guidelines for ophthalmic practice during COVID-19. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the ophthalmic care services across India with telemedicine emerging as a major rescue. The majority of practicing ophthalmologists are satisfied with guidelines provided by AIOS for ophthalmic care during the COVID-19 pandemic and have implemented the same in their setup.

Keywords

• covid-19
• ophthalmology
• eye care
• national lockdown
• ophthalmologist
• ophthalmic practice
• ophthalmic surgeon
• pandemic
• tele-ophthalmology