Table 1.
Summary of the global routine intravitreal injection therapy (IVT) practices during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic time
| Country (city/region) | Type of institution | Prior to intravitreal injections being administered | Intravitreal Injection procedure | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaging with OCT done at every visit | Ophthalmology consult performed at every visit | Setting where the majority of IVTs are performed | Skilled manpower used to administer IVT | Routine equipment used to administer IVT (Surgical mask, drape, gown, sterile gloves, speculum, iodine) |
Bilateral injections allowed on the same day | |||
| Asia and Pacific Region | ||||||||
| China (Guangzhou) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Operating theatre | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologists | All | No | |
| Israel (Tel Aviv) | Ophthalmology department within General Hospital | Noa | Noa | Separate treatment room | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologists | All except gowns | Yes | |
| Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | Ophthalmology department within General Hospital | Yes | Yes | Separate treatment room | Junior ophthalmologists | All | Yes | |
| Singapore | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Noa | Noa | Separate treatment room | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologist, Specialised nurses | All except gowns | Yes | |
| Thailand (Bangkok) | Ophthalmology department within General Hospital | Noa | Noa | Separate treatment room or stand-alone IVT clinics | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologists/Residents | All except gowns | Yes | |
| Europe | ||||||||
| France (Paris) | Ophthalmology department within General Hospital | Yes | Yes | Separate treatment room | Junior ophthalmologist | All | Yes | |
| Germany (Berlin) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Noa | Noa | Operating theatre | Senior ophthalmologist | All except gowns | No | |
| Germany (Munich) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Separate treatment room/ Operating theatre | Junior/Senior ophthalmologist | All except gowns | Yes | |
| Greece (Athens) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | Yes | Yes | Separate treatment room | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologists | All except gowns | Yes | |
| Italy (Rome) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | No (only after 3 loading doses) | No (only after 3 loading doses) | Separate treatment room / Operating theatre | Senior ophthalmologist | All except gown (drape recommended) | No | |
| Italy(Milan) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | Noa | Noa | Separate treatment room/Operating theatre | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologists | All | No | |
| Switzerland (Lucerne) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | No | No (only at fixed time points) | Operating theatre | Junior Ophthalmologist, Specialised nurses | All | Yes | |
| United Kingdom(London) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Separate treatment room | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologist, Specialised nurses | All | Yes | |
| United Kingdom (Wales) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | Yes | Yes (most done virtually) | Within the outpatient clinic | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologist, Specialised nurses | All (drape and masks only recommended) | Yes | |
| North and South America | ||||||||
| Brazil (Recife) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Operating theatre | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologist | All | Yes | |
| Canada (Vancouver) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Within the outpatient clinic | Senior Ophthalmologist | Iodine only (some substitute chlorhexidine for iodine), speculum optional | No | |
| Colombia (Cali) | Tertiary stand-alone ophthalmology centre | Yes | Yes | Within the outpatient clinic | Senior/Junior Ophthalmologist | All | Yes | |
| United States of America (Chicago) | Ophthalmology department part of General Hospital | Yes | Yes | Within the outpatient clinic | Senior ophthalmologist | All except gown | Yes (rarely) | |
aIVT also administered in injection only clinics/appointments with no imaging or ophthalmologist consult