key: cord-0709793-b6u410m7
authors: Bhole, Pradnya Krishnakant; Mansuri, Farhad; Parmar, Dipali; Gandhi, Kshitij
title: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the spectrum of ocular trauma during Diwali at a tertiary eye care center of Western India
date: 2021-12-03
journal: Indian J Ophthalmol
DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_1094_21
sha: 6401171a2f687b42d5142e8d04816797f8f0c779
doc_id: 709793
cord_uid: b6u410m7

nan

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge to the healthcare services, with a great impact on the management of ocular emergencies, especially during Diwali, an annual Indian festival traditionally celebrated by lighting lamps, bursting firecrackers (FC), and socializing. [1, 2] During the pandemic, people were expected to have muted festive celebrations with social distancing due to the fear of getting infected by the virus and various restrictions on travel and use of FC imposed by the Indian Government. [3] This study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demographic and clinical spectrum of ocular trauma presenting during the festival of Diwali at a tertiary eye care center in western India. The retrospective comparative study included patients with a history of noninfectious ocular trauma presenting during the five consecutive days of Diwali Table 1 .

A 26.38% decline in the number of emergency ocular trauma cases presenting during the D-CP was noted, similar to that found by Pellergini et al. [4] Ocular surface burns and vitreous hemorrhage were the most common anterior and posterior segment manifestations, respectively, during both periods. The management of the injuries during D-PC and D-CP was done as shown in Table 2 . The decline noted in the need for surgical intervention was similar to that noted by Agrawal et al. [5] During the D-CP, none of the 15 patients requiring emergency surgical intervention were diagnosed as being positive for COVID-19 on the preoperative RT-PCR test, with the report available within a mean duration of 7.63 ± 1.21 h of taking the swab from the patient. The waiting time of RT-PCR report delayed the surgical intervention in 10 patients with a mean waiting time/delay of 6.1 ± 1.28 h than the expected time of scheduling of surgery. The mean duration of surgical intervention in D-CP was found to be more than that in D-PC (P = 0.2). The decline in workplace injuries might have been due to a majority of population staying at or working from home during the pandemic. Preponderance of road traffic accidents indicated that despite the risk of a second wave of the pandemic, people ventured out for travel.

With a minimal decline in the ocular trauma cases during the Diwali in the pandemic and the mandatory RT-PCR testing leading to a delay in the surgical intervention, it will be advisable to strictly enforce the existing legislation related to road safety, firework use, and control of COVID-19 infection during Diwali in the pandemic era. This may help in reducing the incidence of ocular trauma and improving the overall outcome of debilitating injuries during this resource-constrained period.

Nil.

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