Glaucoma care at home during COVID-19

Due to strain placed upon the HSE at this time, hospitals across the Republic of Ireland have begun to postpone routine services — including glaucoma outpatient appointments and surgery. Find out how this could impact your treatment below:

Advice for current outpatients

If you’re a glaucoma outpatient, your medical record will be assessed by your hospital’s clinical team to decide whether you are in urgent need of care. Unless you’re deemed to have a very high risk of sight loss within months, the hospital is likely to defer your appointment so that the most urgent cases can be seen.

In the meantime, you should continue with the treatment plan your ophthalmologist has prescribed and give them a call if you notice any change in your vision.

Advice for new patients

Most appointments are likely to be postponed in order to prioritise patients at very high risk of sight loss. People with very high eye pressure, sudden vision loss or acute angle-closure will be treated as ‘urgent’. This is necessary in order to ensure that the most critical cases can be treated using limited resources.

Advice for patients awaiting surgery

It’s likely that most glaucoma surgeries will be postponed, unless they fall under the definition of urgent (i.e. patients with a very high risk of sight loss within months). You should contact your doctor to find out the current status of your surgery. 

It’s worth remembering that, while appointments may be deferred, they aren’t being cancelled altogether. Once things improve, it’s important to reschedule your appointment with your doctor so you can receive the necessary treatment.