Evaluation of the Clinical Findings of Patients with Penetrating Keratoplasty Followed by Telephone Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in the clinical findings of keratoplasty patients who could not be examined face-to-face and were followed up by telephone during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with penetrating keratoplasty who presented to the cornea department between March 2020 and February 2021 were grouped according to whether they showed clinical deterioration (Group 1: no deterioration, Group 2: deterioration). The patients’ last visit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and their first visit after the pandemic-related lockdown ended were evaluated. The demographic data, follow-up period, and ophthalmological examination findings of all patients were recorded and the data were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Thirty-five eyes of 35 patients were included in the study. Signs of deterioration were detected in 8 (22.8%) of the patients (Group 1), while no deterioration was detected in 27 (77.2%) of the patients (Group 2). In the last follow-up visit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 1.26±0.43 LogMAR (range: 0.52-1.80) in Group 1 and 1.41±1.02 LogMAR (range: 0-3.1) in Group 2 (p=0.692). Mean BCVA in the first control during the pandemic was 2.07±0.86 LogMAR (range: 1.3-3.1) in Group 1 and 1.49±1.08 LogMAR (range: 0-3.1) in Group 2 (p=0.08). At the first visit during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mean intraocular pressure of Group 1 was 16.38±8.58 mmHg (range: 0-31), and Group 2 was 17.11±3.7 mmHg (range: 11-26) (p=0.984). CONCLUSION: The continuation of treatment initiated prior to the pandemic was probably the most important reason why deterioration was not observed in keratoplasty patients. In situations such as pandemics where face-to-face visits with patients may be disrupted, it may be possible to follow the patients safely with telemedicine visits until the difficult circumstances resolve.