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Ophthalmology After Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)Transition Back to Patient Care

Educational Objective
To understand how COVID-19 has affected the practice of Ophthalmology
1 Credit CME

By mid-March of 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had upended the professional world of ophthalmologists. It can be argued that the United States should have heeded more effectively the experiences of China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy and entered the pandemic in a less frenetic fashion, but that is not the way it happened. On February 1, 2020, there were 8 US confirmed cases, and 1 month later there were only 30. By March 18, there were 10 442 confirmed cases.1 On that day, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, following advice from the US Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued the following guidance language: “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Academy of Ophthalmology now finds it essential that all ophthalmologists cease providing any treatment other than urgent or emergent care immediately.”2 It went on to state “All other factors—business, finance, inconvenience, etc.—are remotely secondary. This is an existential crisis.”

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CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Article Information

Corresponding Author: David W. Parke II, MD, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 655 Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94109 (dparke@aao.org).

Published Online: May 4, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.2004

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Parke serves as the chief executive officer of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

References
1.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the US. Accessed April 12, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html#cumulative
2.
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Recommendations for urgent and nonurgent patient care. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.aao.org/headline/new-recommendations-urgent-nonurgent-patient-care
3.
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Your COVID-19 experience drives academy efforts on your behalf. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.aao.org/about/governance/academy-blog/post/your-covid-19-experience-drives-academy-efforts
4.
American Association of Nurse Practitioners. COVID-19 state emergency response: temporarily suspended and waived practice agreement requirements. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/covid-19-state-emergency-response-temporarily-suspended-and-waived-practice-agreement-requirements
5.
Kimberling  RC . These changes could mobilize key medical personnel to fight a pandemic. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://thehill.com/opinion/education/491440-these-changes-could-mobilize-key-medical-personnel-to-fight-a-pandemic
6.
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Academy, federal agencies issue new telehealth guidance in light of COVID-19. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.aao.org/eye-on-advocacy-article/academy-federal-agencies-issue-telehealth-guidance
AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 CME points in the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Continuing Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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