Glaucoma progression due to refraining examination amid the pandemic of COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Some patients refrain from seeking an ophthalmologist due to the anxiety and morbidity associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We investigated progressive visual field defects in patients with glaucoma who refrained from ophthalmological examinations. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 886 patients with glaucoma who visited Inouye Eye Hospital in June 2022 and were followed-up prior to January 2020. We examined the number of times patients canceled visits between January 2020 and May 2022 due to coronavirus concerns. We assessed the mean deviation (MD) values of the Humphrey Visual Field Assessment (HFA) program 30 − 2 SITA Standard values after visit interruptions for worsening beyond the MD values predicted by the MD slope. Factors influencing this difference were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results The study included 374 men and 512 women. The mean age was 68.7 ± 12.0 years. Visit interruptions occurred in 146 patients (16.5%), with 95 (65.1%) rescheduling once, 27 (18.5%) twice, and 24 (16.4%) three or more times. Among 90 patients who underwent HFA regularly, 50 (55.6%) experienced worse-than-expected MD values and 12 (13.3%) deteriorated by 2 dB or more. Longer interruptions and high intraocular pressure before interruption worsened the MD values by 2 dB or more. Conclusions Patients with glaucoma with visit interruptions due to the pandemic should be monitored for the progression of visual field impairment.