The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly changed the United States (US) healthcare landscape, straining the system in countless ways. Every medical field has been affected, and each is important for sustaining our response to this crisis. Our experience in global ophthalmology provides useful insights for how our specialty can effectively confront these challenges.
Global health is not simply healthcare happening internationally. Instead, global health and global ophthalmology focus on issues that span borders, often searching for interdisciplinary solutions that are effective in resource-poor conditions. Our emphasis is providing eye care to confront unmet needs, regardless of place. We have been working with local and international partners to develop the best approaches for achieving this in difficult situations. These circumstances are often characterized by resource scarcity, impeded access to care, stretched personnel, and fragmented medical services. These same challenges describe our home communities during the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Lessons from the global ophthalmology community can help us all in this global pandemic.
