Purpose: To determine the loss of follow-up ratio and reasons during the COVID-19 lockdown in patients with retinal diseases treated by anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections and to report the visual outcome and rate of complications of these patients 1 year after the end of the lockdown.
Methods: This is a prospective descriptive cohort study (NCT04395859) conducted at the Rothschild Foundation Hospital - Paris between April 2020 and May 2021. Patients with retinal diseases treated by repeated intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (IVI) since before October 2019 were included. They filled-out a questionnaire and were followed up during a period of 1 year.
Results: During the COVID-19 lockdown 198 eyes (82.5%) of 157 patients (82.6%) received their injections in a timely manner (group 1) while 42 eyes (17.5%) of 33 patients (17.4%) had their injections delayed or missed (group 2). No statistically significant difference was found between group 1 and group 2 when comparing the change of mean best corrected distance visual acuity (BCVA) between month 12 and inclusion (p = 0.6) and the rate of ocular complications. The most frequent reasons for missing scheduled injections are appointments cancellation by the hospital (12 patients, 36%), fear of virus exposure during transportation (7 patients, 21%) or at the hospital (5 patients, 15%). Eighty-four percent (130/157 patients) of patients who attended their appointment were satisfied by the protective measures used in the hospital.
Conclusion: COVID-19 lockdown did not seem to negatively affect the 1-year outcome of patients with retinal diseases treated by anti-VEGF IVIs who missed their scheduled injections. The BCVA and rate of complications at 1 year did not differ whether patients missed their scheduled injections or not. Maintaining IVIs during lockdown periods and educating patients about the risks of missing injections are pivotal in improving prognosis of retinal diseases.
Keywords: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19); anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF); intravitreal injections; lockdown; retinal diseases.