Prioritisation of ophthalmic procedures

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused dramatic changes to the provision of medical services within the UK and efforts to reduce the spread of infection have caused a reduction in ophthalmic services being provided. This guidance has been developed to aid ophthalmic services in the prioritisation of surgical procedures being carried out within their departments. It is intended to allow services to plan beyond the lockdown period into the
phase of reopening of services when more medium urgency and elective care will be provided but where there is likely still to be restricted capacity and a greater need to prioritise. This guidance covers the main ophthalmic procedures but it is not an exhaustive list and does not cover in detail complex, uncommon or specialised procedures. In addition, each decision needs to take into account a patient’s specific circumstances, risk, urgency and
requirements. Services may wish to adapt this list to create a prioritisation system which best suits their local population healthcare needs and the services they provide.