Changes in the spectrum of ocular disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2022 in the Hubei Province

Abstract

Purpose We aimed to investigate changes in the ocular disease spectrum during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in late 2022 in the Hubei Province. Methods This retrospective observational study was conducted in two parts. The first part involved collecting COVID-19-related information from residents of Hubei Province during the COVID-19 pandemic through an online questionnaire survey. The second part involved extracting electronic medical records from ophthalmology outpatient departments at two hospitals in Hubei Province during the pandemic and epidemic prevention and control periods, analyzing changes in the spectrum of ocular diseases. Results In the first part，31.65% of patients with systemic symptoms of COVID-19 experienced ocular discomforts. The most common ocular symptoms were eye fatigue, ocular pain and dry eye. In the second part, 76.5% of patients who visited the ophthalmic clinic had COVID-19-related systemic symptoms during pandemic period. The proportion of ornea/keratitis, glaucoma/acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG) and vitreoretinal disease/retinal vein obstruction (RVO)/acute macular neuroretinalpathy (AMN) increased markedly during pandemic period. Additionally, the number of patients under 18 years and over 60 years in pandemic perioddecreased significantly. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has led to certain changes in the spectrum of ocular disease, which warrants the attention of ophthalmologists.