Retinal Artery Occlusion in the COVID Era: Did the Pandemic Influence More Than Incidence?

Pandemic Impact on Retinal Artery Occlusion: Stable Numbers, Changing Outcomes Despite widespread concerns about COVID-19–related thrombotic events, its impact on retinal artery occlusion appears more complex than a simple rise in cases. This retrospective study compared patients diagnosed before and after the pandemic emergency declaration, assessing prevalence, demographics, and clinical outcomes. The analysis found no significant change in the overall incidence, age distribution, or sex ratio of retinal artery occlusion cases across the two periods.

However, outcome patterns revealed subtle but important differences— final visual acuity in branch retinal artery occlusion was significantly worse in the post-pandemic group (p=0.002), even though patients presented earlier than before. Additionally, the determinants of visual outcomes appeared to shift. While initial visual acuity…