SFO issues injection guidelines

Maintain fixed intervals and opt for same-day bilateral injections

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The French Society of Ophthalmology (SFO), through its president Prof Laurent Kodjikian, has issued specific guidelines to its members concerning the administration of intravitreal injections (IVI) in light of the COVID-19 epidemic. SFO recommends: In cases of neovascular AMD: maintain injections only, spacing patients over the course of the day and cancelling consultations (therefore no OCT controls) in order to avoid grouping of patients. For this, SFO advises keeping a fixed interval for injections (the minimal necessary to maintain efficacy) and to favour same-day bilateral injections where possible so the patient does not have to return twice to the clinic. Bear in mind that there are specific individual cases that will require the completion of an OCT scan for correct decision-making, in particular for the control of the second eye. In the case of new vessels linked to high myopia or inflammatory pathologies: The same strategy as above for nAMD can be applied for these patients. In case of diabetic macular oedema (DME) and macular oedema after retinal vein occlusion: A postponement does not generally jeopardise the functional prognosis and can be performed at a later stage in the vast majority of cases. Angiograms deemed necessary for decision-making and urgent laser treatments (such as pan-retinal photocoagulation for severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy) can be maintained, but only sparingly. The monitoring and treatment of proliferative and severe diabetic retinopathy should not be interrupted. Finally, SFO said it was vital to continue to treat ocular emergencies by all centres with the capability to do in terms of respecting the requisite sanitary controls for COVID-19 and to limit as much as possible non-emergency surgical and medical activity for all the population.
Tags: coronavirus, covid-19, covid19