Table 3.
Functional and anatomical changes in groups A and B pre- and post-COVID examination
| Group A | Group B | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changes in BCVA (decimal) from pre- to post-COVID-19 lockdown | |||
| Improved (Δ BCVA > 0.1) (%) | 2 (4.2) | 9 (12.7) | 0.116 |
| Worsened (Δ BCVA < 0.1) (%) | 23 (47.9) | 6 (8.5) | < 0.001 |
| Stable (%) | 23 (47.9) | 56 (78.9) | < 0.001 |
| Markers of CNV activity | |||
| New or worse SRF, n (%) | 20 (41.7) | 7 (9.9) | 0.022 |
| New or worse IRF, n (%) | 19 (39.6) | 14 (19.7) | < 0.001 |
| Blood, n (%) | New, 4 (8.3) | Disappearance, 2 (2.8) | 0.024 |
| New or worse SRF, IRF, or new blood, n (%) | 30 (62.5) | 16 (22.5) | < 0.001 |
| Central macular thickness (µ) | |||
| Pre-lockdown (mean ± SD) | 293.7 ± 54.4 | 371.5 ± 103.4 | < 0.001 |
| Post-lockdown (mean ± SD) | 326 ± 115.4 | 348.8 ± 73.7 | 0.223 |
| Absolute macular thickness change, Δμ (%) | 32.3 (10.7) | − 22.7 (− 3.9) | 0.001 |
| Reduction (Δ < 50μ) (%) | 9 (18.8) | 0 (0.0) | < 0.001 |
| Increase (Δ > 50μ) (%) | 1 (2.1) | 6 (8.5) | 0.239 |
| Stability (− 50 μ < Δ < 50μ) (%) | 38 (79.2) | 65 (91.5) | 0.061 |
| Relative thickness change | |||
| Reduction (Δ < 10%) (%) | 13 (27.1) | 0 (0.0) | < 0.001 |
| Increase (Δ > 10%) (%) | 5 (10.4) | 7 (9.9) | 1.000 |
| Stability (− 10% < Δ < 10%) (%) | 30 (62.5) | 64 (90.1) | 0.002 |
Group A delayed treatment; group B timely treatment; BCVA best corrected visual acuity (decimal); IRF intraretinal fluid; SRF subretinal fluid; CNV choroidal neovascular membrane; OCT ocular computerized tomography
OCT macular thickness relates to the central subfield total retinal thickness as defined by the standard ETDRS grid. Pre- and post- refer to the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown
Bold indicates statistical significance (P < 0.05)