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. 2020 Jul 7;5(1):e000525. doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2020-000525

Table 4.

Summary of hygiene, PPE and safety recommendations for ophthalmologists during the COVID-19 pandemic per international ophthalmology society

Society Recommendations on
Hand hygiene and
surface disinfection		 Slit-lamp shields Single-use gloves Masks Other Safety distance between patients
RCOphth Yes Yes Yes Fluid-resistant type IIR surgical mask.

  • Filtering face piece respirator.

  • Eye or face protection.

  • Disposable plastic apron.

  • Disposable fluid-resistant gown.

 NA
AAO Yes Referral to the CDC: Standard Precautions page, where hand hygiene, cough etiquette, PPE use and surface disinfection are described. AAO notes that the use of PPE varies from one institution to another and must be dealt on a case-by-case basis, as there are worldwide shortages of PPE.
COS Yes Yes Yes

  1. Fitted N95 (best prevention).

  2. Surgical mask (if N95 not available and for routine care).

  • Face shield.

  • Goggles or other eye protection.

  • Single-use applanation tips and drops.

 NA
SEO Yes Yes Yes FFP2 (N95) or FFP3 masks.

  • Protective eyewear.

  • Pinholes use discouraged.

 1 m
SFO Yes Not indicated Yes

  1. FFP2 mask.

  2. Surgical mask (if FFP2 mask not available).

  • Goggles.

  • Surgical gown or plastic apron.

  • Shoe protectors.

 1 m
DOG Yes Not indicated Yes

  1. Respiratory mask.

  2. Surgical mask (if respiratory mask not available).

 NA 2 m
SOI Yes Not indicated Yes

  1. FFP2 mask.

  2. Surgical mask (if FFP2 mask not available).

  • Goggles.

 NA
JOS Yes Not indicated Yes Recommended.

  • Face shield.

  • Goggles or other eye protection.

  • Apron.

  • Caps.

  • Gowns.

  • Shoe covers.

 NA
AIOS Yes Yes Yes Triple layered/N95 masks if available.

  • Goggles or face shields.

  • Disposable gowns.

 1 m
OSSA Yes Not indicated Yes Face masks.

  • Aprons.

 NA
IRSO No COVID-19 information available.
CHOS No COVID-19 information available.

RCOphth: The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/).

AAO: American Academy of Ophthalmology (https://www.aao.org/).

COS: Canadian Ophthalmological Society (https://www.cosprc.ca/).

SEO: Sociedad Española de Oftalmología/Spanish Society of Ophthalmology (https://www.oftalmoseo.com/).

SFO: Société Française d’Ophthalmologie/French Society of Ophthalmology (https://www.sfo-online.fr/).

DOG: Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesselschaft/German Ophthalmological Society (https://www.dog.org/).

SOI: Società Oftalmologica Italiana/Italian Ophthalmological Society(https://www.sedesoi.com/)

JOS: Japanese Ophthalmological Society (http://www.nichigan.or.jp/).

AIOS: All India Ophthalmological Society (https://aios.org/).

OSSA: Ophthalmological Society of South Africa (https://www.ossa.co.za/).

IRSO: Iranian Society of Ophthalmology (http://www.irso.org/).

PPE, personal protective equipment.