COVID-19: The Regional Impact of COVID-19 on the Certification of Vision Impairment in Northern Ireland

Authors

Jonathan Jackson, Technological University DublinFollow
Giuliana Silvestri, Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Hospital.
Michael Stevenson, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Janet Sinton, Ophthalmology Department, Altnagelvin Hospital, Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland
Jacqueline Witherow, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Belfast
Roseleen McCann, Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Hospital
Tanya Moutray, Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Hospital
Laura Cushley, Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Hospital

Document Type

Article

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

Ophthalmology

Publication Details

Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2021; 41: 136–143.

Abstract

Purpose:In this paper we highlight the impact which the disruption of secondarycare ophthalmic services, resulting from COVID-19, has had on Sight Impairment(SI) and Severe Sight Impairment (SSI) certification in Northern Ireland.Methods:Regional data on SI and SSI certification in the period after the onset ofthe lockdown (19 March 2020–18 June 2020) were compared to the period imme-diately before lockdown (1 January 2020–18 March 2020) and to the same periodsin 2019. Change documented was compared to post-lockdown reductions in pri-mary and secondary ophthalmic care activity

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12757

Recommended Citation

Jackson, J. et al (2020) COVID-19: The regional impact of COVID-19 on the certification of vision impairment in Northern Ireland. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2021; 41: 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12757