| Affiliation |
Department of Ophthalmology (KEL), Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Surgical Division (KEL), Ophthalmology Service, Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana; Circle City Neuro-Ophthalmology (KEL), Indianapolis, Indiana; Midwest Eye Institute (KEL), Indianapolis, Indiana; Departments of Neurology (MWK), Ophthalmology and Neurosurgery, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology (JCR, SLG), New York University Langone Health, New York, New York; Department of Ophthalmology (JGO, JS), New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology (LDS), New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology (KMW), Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon; Operative Care Division (KMW), Ophthalmology Eye Care Service, Veteran Affairs Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon; Texas A&M University College of Medicine (AG), Temple, Texas; Department of Ophthalmology (SHB, NB, AGL), Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine (SW), Houston, Texas; Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology (MJD, AGL), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York; Department of Ophthalmology (NR), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Neurosurgery (AGL), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York; Department of Ophthalmology (AGL), University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Department of Ophthalmology (AGL), University of Texas Maryland Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Department of Ophthalmology (AGL), Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine and the Center for Space Medicine (AGL), Houston, Texas; University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (AGL), Iowa City, Iowa; and University of Buffalo (AGL), Buffalo, New York |
| Abstract |
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rapidly and dramatically transform the daily lives of patients and health care providers across the world. The number of new cases even at the time of this writing continues to grow. As individuals and as physicians, we have a responsibility to our patients and to society to'first, do no harm.' As such, neuro-ophthalmologists must balance their sacred oath to 'treat the sick'against the need for social distancing to help 'flatten the disease curve.' The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other public health organizations have actively updated recommendations and have suggested practices and protocols that may be of interest to practicing ophthalmologists. The AAO's early guidelines recommended that ophthalmologists defer any routine or nonurgent appointments in the clinic and postpone all elective surgical cases (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, Table E1, http://links.lww.com/WNO/A422). Thus, we have a responsibility to appropriately triage new and returning patients to ensure the safety of providers, patients, and the general public during and following this unprecedented pandemic. Neuro-ophthalmologists, however, often diagnose vision-threatening and potentially life-threatening disease, and delay in diagnosis or treatment can be devastating. Therefore, alternatives have been proposed to balance our competing interests of individual patient and provider safety from COVID-19 against the potential risk of undiagnosed or untreated neuro-ophthalmic disease. |
