Abstract
Purpose :
Routine eye care was unavailable during the COVID pandemic, and many non-emergent ocular cases sought care in the emergency department (ED). It is important to identify the ocular diagnoses that presented as emergencies to develop strategies for screening and management of such disorders in case of a future pandemic. In this study, we compile the urgent ophthalmology consults presenting to the ED of a Level I Trauma Center during the first year of the COVID pandemic.
Methods :
A retrospective chart review was conducted of urgent ED ocular consultations for adult non-senior patients (18-64 years old) at the University Hospital in Newark, NJ, during the first year of the COVID pandemic (March 2020 – February 2021). Demographic variables and ocular diagnoses were collected. The cases were stratified by the status of trauma and age groups: 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-64.
Results :
We identified 857 patients (mean age 42, 36.3% female), with 30% (n=257) being of traumatic etiology. Overall, the most common traumatic diagnoses were orbital fracture (31.9%) followed by eyelid laceration (12.1%) and facial abrasion/laceration (10.5%). The top non-traumatic diagnoses were corneal ulcer/erosion/infectious keratitis (6.8%) followed by corneal epithelial defect or abrasion (6.8%) and diabetic retinopathy or related complications (6.0%). Further details on common diagnoses per traumatic etiology are given in Table 1. Stratified by gender, the top diagnoses among women were orbital fracture (7.4%), corneal epithelial defect or abrasion (6.8%), and corneal ulcer/erosion/ infectious keratitis (4.8%). Among men, the top diagnoses were orbital fracture (10.8%), eyelid lacerations (4.8%), and corneal ulcer/erosion/ infectious keratitis (4.8%). The diagnoses stratified by age groups are compiled in Table 2.
Conclusions :
Ocular trauma constituted approximately 30% of ocular-related ED emergencies during the first year of the COVID pandemic. Corneal ulcer/erosion/infectious keratitis and corneal epithelial defect or abrasion were the most common non-traumatic diagnoses. These data may be utilized to guide training and developing potential management protocols for any future widespread closures of medical care facilities.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.