The Impact of COVID-19 on Missed Ophthalmology Clinic Visits

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant stress to the US healthcare system, impacting patients’ abilities to access urgent and elective care, and decreasing volumes of surgeries, hospital admissions, and clinic visits. To reduce risks for COVID-19 transmission and to conserve hospital resources, many regions implemented restrictions on population movement (“shelter-in-place” orders) and restrictions on elective care early in the pandemic, and patients likewise cancelled or deferred clinical care. On March 18th 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued guidance “that all ophthalmologists cease providing any treatment other than urgent or emergent care immediately”.