Providing medical care to patients with acute ocular pathology in pandemic
Purpose. Comparative assessment of frequency and structure of patients who underwent inpatient treatment for acute eye pathology before and during the coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic. Material and methods. A quantitative analysis was carried out in 826 patients treated for various acute eye pathologies in the Khabarovsk branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution (the Branch) for the time periods: from May 2018 to February 2020 (the first) and from March 2020 to the end of December 2021 (the second). An assessment of frequency and nosological forms of diseases was carried out, examples of most severe cases of diseases and injuries were given. Results. For the first period, 318 patients were treated, for the second period - 508 patients. In the second period, there was significant increase in number of patients with acute eye pathology by 1.6 times. In both periods, patients with inflammatory lesions of tuveal tract prevailed: before the pandemic - 179 eyes, during the pandemic - 243 eyes. Also in the second period, 29 cases of severe burns of the cornea - II and III degrees were registered. Conclusion. All patients who applied to the Branch during study periods and needed emergency ophthalmic care were provided in timely manner and in full. The COVID-19 pandemic has made significant adjustments to work of the entire Branch, including work of Complex Rehabilitation Treatment Department in form of increase in number of patients with acute eye pathology by 1.6 times.