COVID-19 and the Eye: Impact of Pandemic on Clinical, Surgical and Research Activities in Ophthalmology

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays ophthalmic practice widely depend on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A), which are objective, reliable, and repeatable structural tests for both early diagnosis and detection of the progression of various ocular diseases. Regarding the imaging of the anterior pole of the eye, OCT is mainly used the study of cornea, anterior chamber including the angle and crystalline lens, while OCT-A for cornea, iris, sclera and conjunctiva. Regarding the imaging of the posterior pole of the eye, although clinical applications of OCT and OCT-A embrace the entire spectrum of chorioretinal diseases, the most promising fields are diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular occlusion, inflammatory diseases, macular telangiectasia, and age-related macular degeneration.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the delivery of medical care over all the world. Ophthalmologists have been particularly impacted by the pandemic as the majority of ophthalmic surgical procedures are elective and a significant proportion of ophthalmologists’ patients are older, with greater risk for comorbidities.

This Topic will focus on the latest evidence and impact of COVID-19 on Ophthalmology practice. Many changes in practices during this pandemic will be accelerated and sustained and will become part of the new normal after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Adriano Carnevali
Prof. Vincenzo Scorcia
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Giannaccare
Topic Editors