Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cataract surgeries in Brazil: A retrospective study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the behavioral patterns of data on cataract surgery performed in the Brazilian public health system before, during, and after the COVID-19 outbreak and estimate the setbacks generated by the pandemic to guide public policies.

Materials and methods: This was an observational, longitudinal, and descriptive epidemiological study based on data retrieved from the public health system's databases of cataract surgeries performed each year and in each region from 2015 to 2022.

Result: In Brazil, compared with the average of the 5-years preceding the pandemic, a 23 % reduction in the number of cataract surgeries was observed in 2020, followed by a 21 % increase in 2021, compensating for the majority of patients that were not operated on. However, the worsening situation of blindness caused by cataracts due to the pandemic not be avoided in the Central-West region, where unrecovered cases continue to accumulate.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic did not worsen the situation of cataract blindness in Brazil due to the efficacy of the measures taken by the government in resuming elective surgeries. However, the auhtors recommend that the distribution of resources for cataract surgeries should consider regional discrepancies based on epidemiological data.

Keywords: Cataract surgery; Covid-19; Epidemiology; Pandemic; Prevention of blindness.