{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T04:51:50Z","timestamp":1768193510357,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,9]],"date-time":"2020-11-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1604880000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ophthalmic Physiologic Optic"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this paper we highlight the impact which the disruption of secondary care ophthalmic services, resulting from COVID\u201019, has had on Sight Impairment (SI) and Severe Sight Impairment (SSI) certification in Northern Ireland.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Regional data on SI and SSI certification in the period after the onset of the lockdown (19 March 2020\u201318 June 2020) were compared to the period immediately before lockdown (1 January 2020\u201318 March 2020) and to the same periods in 2019. Change documented was compared to post\u2010lockdown reductions in primary and secondary ophthalmic care activity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In 2019, during the 3\u2010month period (19 March 2019\u201318 June 2019), 115 individuals were certified as sight impaired (SI 36, SSI 75, unspecified 4). Of those certified, 65 were female, 49 male. Principal causes of certification were: Age\u2010related macular degeneration (AMD) (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a045), glaucoma (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a020) and diabetic eye disease (DED) (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a010). Mean VA, recorded from the better eye of those certified, was 0.96 LogMAR. In the 3\u00a0months following the onset of lockdown (19 March 2020\u201318 June 2020), only 37 individuals were certified (SI 6, SSI 31), 12 female and 25 male. AMD was the most frequent cause of sight impairment (\n                      <jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a020). There were only two DED certifications and one due to glaucoma. Mean VA in the better eye of those certified was 1.15LogMAR. The numbers of CVI certifications completed following the introduction of COVID\u201019 lockdown fell by 68%, compared to the 2019 data. There was a significant reduction in the proportion of female certifications (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a00.01), and in certifications due to glaucoma (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a00.02). The proportion of those certified as SSI as opposed to SI in the period after the onset of lockdown rose from 68% in 2019 to 84% in 2020. The mean VA of those certified in the period after the onset of lockdown, when compared to those certified in the other three periods, was worse by between 0.21 and 0.19 LogMAR (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u00a0=\u00a00.06). Reductions reflected change in overall primary and secondary ophthalmic care activity.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>It is inconceivable that COVID\u201019 has reduced the incidence of sight\u2010threatening eye disease. We must therefore assume that a flood of newly presenting sight loss will present once the pandemic has passed. New presentations will include those who would normally have attended during the lockdown period, and patients who, had they accessed ophthalmic care at the appropriate time, would have been saved from severe levels of blindness. The implications of the predicted increase in demand for medical, social and low vision related services are huge.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/opo.12757","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,9]],"date-time":"2020-11-09T11:17:38Z","timestamp":1604920658000},"page":"136-143","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["COVID\u201019: The regional impact of COVID\u201019 on the certification of vision impairment in Northern Ireland"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"41","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4675-0272","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan","family":"Jackson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"},{"name":"Dublin Technological University Dublin Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuliana","family":"Silvestri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"},{"name":"University of Ulster Coleraine Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Stevenson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Janet","family":"Sinton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ophthalmology Department Altnagelvin Hospital Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) Londonderry\/Derry Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jacqueline","family":"Witherow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Belfast Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roseleen","family":"McCann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tanya","family":"Moutray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Cushley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Belfast Northern Ireland"},{"name":"Queens University Belfast Northern Ireland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","unstructured":"Butterworths Annotated Legislation Service No 49 Section 64 pp104. The National Assistance Act 1948 Butterworths London1949."},{"key":"e_1_2_8_3_1","unstructured":"Certificate of Vision Impairment; Explanatory Notes for Consultant Ophthalmologists and Hospital Eye Clinic Staff in England.https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/637590\/CVI_guidance.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_4_1","volume-title":"The Causes of Blindness in England 1948\u201350","author":"Sorsby A","year":"1953"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41433-020-0864-6"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_6_1","unstructured":"The Care and Support (Sight\u2010impaired and Severely Sight\u2010impaired Adults) Regulations2014.https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/uksi\/2014\/2854\/contents\/made"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_7_1","unstructured":"Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1978 (\u201cthe 1978 Act\u201d).https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/1978\/53"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_8_1","first-page":"92","article-title":"Visual impairment in Northern Ireland","volume":"66","author":"Canavan YM","year":"1997","journal-title":"Ulster Med J"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_9_1","volume-title":"Developing Eye\u2010Care Partnerships \u2013 Improving the Commissioning and Provision of Eye\u2010Care Services in Northern Ireland","author":"Department of Health","year":"2012"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30313-5"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_11_1","unstructured":"https:\/\/www.health\u2010ni.gov.uk\/news\/covid\u201019\u2010reproduction\u2010number\u2010r(Accessed 31.07.2020)."},{"key":"e_1_2_8_12_1","unstructured":"http:\/\/www.hscbusiness.hscni.net\/services\/3183.htm(Accessed 3.07.2020)."},{"key":"e_1_2_8_13_1","unstructured":"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health\u201052968845(Accessed 31.07.2020)."},{"key":"e_1_2_8_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2013-004319"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjo.2004.059915"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eurtel.2015.08.002"}],"container-title":["Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/opo.12757","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1111\/opo.12757","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/opo.12757","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,7]],"date-time":"2026-01-07T11:25:50Z","timestamp":1767785150000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/opo.12757"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,9]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/opo.12757"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/opo.12757","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0275-5408","1475-1313"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0275-5408","type":"print"},{"value":"1475-1313","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,9]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2020-07-09","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-09-14","order":1,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-11-09","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}