Prevalence of COVID-19 infection among asymptomatic ophthalmic surgical patients undergoing ophthalmic procedures at University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja

Abstract

Purpose:The aim of this article is to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among asymptomatic ophthalmic patients undergoing ophthalmic procedures at University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria.Materials and Methods:A retrospective review of records of all consecutive ophthalmic patients who had pre-operative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction testing for COVID-19 screening before an elective surgical procedure between July 2020 and January 2021 was done. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to extract the following information from eligible patients’ case records: age, gender, results of COVID-19 tests, type of ophthalmic surgical procedure done, and ocular examination findings and diagnosis.Results:Out of the 150 patients scheduled for surgical procedures within the study period, only 14 (9.3%) returned a positive test result. These patients had their surgeries postponed and were asked to return with negative results 2 weeks later. No association was found between gender, age, or type of surgical procedure and the prevalence of COVID-19 infection.Conclusion:This study found that 1 in 11 patients scheduled for elective ophthalmic procedure was a carrier of COVID-19 infection, highlighting the need for regular pre-operative testing in order to reduce the risk of spread of infection to healthcare workers and other hospitalized patients.