Preoperative universal screening of coronavirus disease 2019 during Omicron outbreak in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries: Experience from a tertiary eye care center in Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the frequency of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during Omicron outbreak among patients scheduled for elective and emergency ophthalmic surgeries in a tertiary eye care center in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This observational retrospective study was performed between December 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, in a single tertiary eye care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All patients who were given appointments for elective or emergency surgeries were included. All patients underwent preoperative nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction testing for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. A retrospective chart review of all patients who tested positive for COVID-19 during Omicron outbreak was performed for the demographic and clinical information, presence of symptoms upon presentation, nature and urgency of the scheduled surgical intervention, and the overall outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 851 patients were scheduled for elective and emergency ophthalmic surgeries during the study period. The mean age of all patients was 58.2 years; 451 were males (52.9%) and 400 were females (47%). Of 851 patients tested for the COVID-19 during Omicron outbreak, the test was positive in 65 (7.6%) patients. All patients who tested positive for the COVID-19 during Omicron outbreak were asymptomatic at the time of swabbing. No patient-related perioperative complications or health-care workers’ affection secondary to exposure to positive cases was documented. CONCLUSION: The study showed that almost 1 in 13 patients scheduled for elective or emergency ophthalmic surgeries may test positive for the COVID-19 during Omicron outbreak. All positive cases were asymptomatic at the time of swabbing, highlighting the importance of routine preoperative screening for COVID-19.