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Introduction Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the foundation of the response to a pandemic. Also termed as frontline workers, not only are they at a health risk but also suffer from emotional and psychological stress. Objective The objective of the study was to determine the emotional impact of novel coronavirus on healthcare workers. Methodology An online survey was completed by 239 HCWs from five different countries during the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak amidst the lockdown. Their feelings and concerns as well as the safety measures they adopted were identified. Results The response rate was 100%. Most of the respondents were 20-40 years old (85.36%) and working as doctors (73.22%); 44.77% were working at middle grade. The majority felt confused (19.67%), whereas others felt stressed/overworked (17.15%), unhappy (16.74%), scared (13.81%), nervous (13.39%), motivated (8.79%), and privileged (5.86%). A few felt pressurized to perform their duty (4.6%), and 69.87% felt that it was their moral obligation to continue their duty, whereas 13.39% felt administrative pressure for the same. Of the respondents, 53.97% feared transferring the disease to their family and friends, while others feared the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) (13.39%). According to the majority of the respondents (25.94%), support from family and friends had them going through the crisis. The most common safety measure adopted by the HCWs was strict hand hygiene (43.51%). The HCWs (28.87%) felt that adequate and easy access to PPE would have helped them better during the pandemic. Conclusion Healthcare institutions are responsible for protecting HCWs or frontline workers during pandemics so they can continue with their duty. From our study, we have concluded that simple protective measures as uninterrupted and easy access to PPE would have helped HCWs deal with their stress and concerns.
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Purpose: To evaluate the changes in biomechanical properties of the cornea using the Corvis ST device after the treatment of keratoconus patients with ultraviolet-A/riboflavin corneal cross-linking (CXL). Methods: Thirty-seven eyes from 37 consecutive patients with progressive keratoconus were included in this prospective observational case series. Corneal biomechanical parameters including the length of the applanated cornea (L1 and L2), corneal movement velocity during applanation (V1 and V2) at the moment of the first and second applanation, deformation amplitude (DA), distance between bending points of the cornea points of the cornea (PD), and concave radius of curvature (R) at the point of the highest concavity were recorded using the Corvis ST at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year after CXL. Results: The mean age of the patients was 23.27 years (range, 19-31 years). Among CorVis ST corneal biomechanical parameters, L1, DA, PD, and R at the point of the highest concavity did not change significantly. The length of the applanated cornea at the moment of second applanation (L2) showed a significant change 3 months after CXL, but no significant difference was found between the 3-month and 1-year values of this parameter. Corneal movement velocity during applanation (V1 and V2) did not change 3 months after doing CXL, but the changes in these parameters were significant 1 year after CXL. Conclusions: Although the CorVis ST device may detect changes in some biomechanical properties of cornea after the treatment of keratoconus patients with CXL, many parameters remain unchanged, and this device cannot readily be used to find the effects of CXL.
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PURPOSE: To report severe immunologic and toxic reaction due to corneal wasp sting that may cause catastrophic sight-threatening outcomes. METHODS: A 45-year-old man referred to the emergency room with corneal wasp sting of Vespa Orientalis. The authors review previous Medline literature about this topic. RESULTS: In our case, the response to frequent topical corticosteroid was dramatic, and at the seventh day after injury, all inflammatory responses in the anterior segment of the eye had been resolved. CONCLUSION: Corneal wasp injury with Vespa Orientalis can cause severe inflammation of the cornea and the anterior segment. Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment.
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BACKGROUND: HPV is now considered the most important risk factor for the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer. Although CIN and cancer have been previously reported in association with cervical schistosomiasis, those reports failed to control for the potential coexistence of high-risk HPV. CASES: Two women, 1 with high grade CIN and 1 with invasive cervical cancer, were negative for high-risk HPV subtypes. Evidence of cervical and systemic schistosomal infestation was evident in both cases. CONCLUSION: In support of prior published studies, cervical schistosomiasis seems to be a possible risk factor for the development of CIN and cancer. As populations around the world migrate, North American colposcopists need to become aware of this association.