Introduction
endophthalmitis, diabetic macular
CORONAVIRUS INFECTION, ENDOPHTHALMITIS, NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION, STERILE, DISEASES
Intravitreal injections of medications, particularly anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF), are currently considered as one of the most common procedures in medicine to treat diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edemaDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, face mask wearing has become a general routine to decrease the risk of coronavirus infection. However, there was a concern that face masks used by patients may increase oropharyngeal bacterial dispersion toward the eyes due to upward air flow from breathing or speakingIn many ophthalmology centers including our center at Siriraj hospital, sterile fenestrated surgical drapes (with an opening over the periorbital area) have been employed to cover patients’ faces before giving intravitreal injections to keep the area sterile and to increase awareness of serious procedures for both physicians and patients, although there was no significant evidence that the routine use of the drapes could reduce endophthalmitis rateThus, this study aims to investigate the amount of bacterial dispersion toward the periorbital area associated with the use of fenestrated surgical drapes with or without patients’ face masks during simulated intravitreal injection situations.