THIS IS WHERE DISCOVERIES ARE BORN!

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected healthcare systems all over the world. In August 2021, a team of researchers from the Ophthalmology Department of MUB published two articles regarding the effect of three waves of the pandemic on the referrals and clinical characteristics of patients with cataract and retinal detachment as compared to the pre-pandemic period  (vs 2016-2019 and vs 2019, respectively). The paper entitled: “Impact of Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Rate of Elective Cataract Surgeries at a Tertiary Referral Center: A Polish Perspective” was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (PMID: 34444356), and “The Impact of Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Characteristics of Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments at a Tertiary Referral Centre” in the Clinical Ophthalmology journal (PMID: 34429580).

A separate analysis of the impact of three waves of the pandemic and the interwave periods as opposed to the pre- vs intra-pandemic comparisons is a new methodological approach. It enables a better insight into the relationship between the dynamics of the pandemic and fluctuations in the characteristics of referrals. The data regarding the patients of the Ophthalmology Department of MUB were presented in the context of the introduced and lifted restrictions and healthcare system capacity. Short- and long-term consequences from the patient, ophthalmic surgeon and resident’s perspectives were discussed. A decrease in the number of referrals was detected but lessened with the duration of the pandemic. Previously raised concerns regarding the delay in retinal detachment referrals was not confirmed among the patients of MUB. The conclusions may facilitate decisions about the organization of pandemic-affected healthcare services. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgeries may be considered.

The team of researchers from the Ophthalmology Department, including residents, further investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the ophthalmic specialist training program and the mental health of ophthalmology residents.