Editorial: Paradigm Shift

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed completely the way we live our lives and the way we practise as ophthalmologists. We will continue to rely on our surgical skills but in this new era of uncertainty, we must also start learning new skills. In a special webinar organised by WSPOS earlier this year, I discussed the importance of telemedicine. As I pointed out during the webinar, with tele-ophthalmology already gaining traction in recent years as an effective eyecare delivery modality worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has served to further amplify this trend. I do not think that tele-ophthalmology is going to go away and we would be well advised to become familiar with it as we seek to make the best use of the resources we have available to us in caring for our patients in the current crisis. As we are also obliged to observe new rules on social distancing, we have also been restricted in our personal movements and we have not been able to interact with colleagues in the way we have done in the past. That is why we were not able to meet in Amsterdam this year for our fifth World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WCPOS). In its place, we came together virtually for the WSPOS World Wide Connect meeting on September 26, which allowed delegates from all over the globe connect with the WSPOS online congress. Connect did what we had hoped. It connected the world for 24 hours, promoted education and ideas exchange and established every part of the world as equally important. It allowed friendship and camaraderie to shine through, changed what could be, to what is and created a platform for nurturing. It shifted the paradigm. We can only hope that there are better times ahead. I wish all readers of EuroTimes my very best for the future. Stay safe and stay well. Dr Ken Nischal, is Chief of the Division of Paediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus, and Adult Motility at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, United States and founding member of WSPOS

Tags: paediatric ophthalmology