Impact of Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Rate of Elective Cataract Surgeries at a Tertiary Referral Center: A Polish Perspective.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of elective cataract surgeries. A retrospective single-center consecutive case series study was performed. We included all 12,464 patients who received cataract surgery in the period between 1 January 2016 and 31 May 2021. Monthly numbers of cataract surgeries during the pandemic were compared with monthly numbers in the reference years 2016-2019. In the pandemic the number of cataract surgeries decreased by 53.4%. The monthly numbers during the first, second and third wave of the pandemic were 77.5%, 51.5% and 29.7% lower, respectively, compared with the reference level. No rebound effect was observed once the pandemic restrictions were eased. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgeries (SBC

SUBMITTER: Dmuchowska DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8393808 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature