- Administrative control
- Reschedule appointments and arrange drug refill, in order to lower patient attendance.
- Establish a patient triage system to minimize cross infection of COVID-19 (identify patient with fever, respiratory symptoms, acute conjunctivitis or recent travel).
- Promote infection control training and staff monitoring (measure their own body temperatures before work and promptly report any symptoms).
- Environmental control to reduce droplet transmission of COVID-19
- Installation of protective shields on slit lamps
- Frequent disinfection of equipment
- Provision of eye protection to staff
- Ophthalmologists should take particular care when examining patients, because of both the proximity to patients’ nose and mouth, and the potential exposure to tears which may contain the virus
- Use of Personal Protective Equipment
- Universal masking, hand hygiene and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are promoted.
This data were provided by:
- an editorial published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
- an article published in Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
Sources:
Li JO, Lam DSC, Chen Y, et alNovel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): The importance of recognising possible early ocular manifestation and using protective eyewearBritish Journal of Ophthalmology 2020;104:297-298. Retrieved from : https://bjo.bmj.com/content/bjophthalmol/104/3/297.full.pdf
Lai, T.H.T., Tang, E.W.H., Chau, S.K.Y. et al. Stepping up infection control measures in ophthalmology during the novel coronavirus outbreak: an experience from Hong Kong. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 258, 1049–1055 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04641-8 Retrieved from : https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00417-020-04641-8.pdf