OBJECTIVE: Digital evolution represents an opportunity for ophthalmology to adapt to new care models. This study aimed to find out how the pandemic has modified the clinical practice and training activities of the ophthalmologist specialised in ocular surface, as well as to analyse emerging trends and needs.
METHODS: This study was carried out through an online survey. A committee of 3 specialists developed a questionnaire of 25 questions structured in: 1) Participant profile; 2) Impact of the pandemic on patient management and professional activities; 3) Trends and needs.
RESULTS: 68 clinical ophthalmologists participated. There was a high degree of agreement (90%) that the pandemic has delayed ophthalmological follow-up visits and diagnosis. The participants agreed that the frequency of patients with dry eye disease (75%), stye/chalazion (62%) and blepharitis (60%) has increased. According to 28%, remote monitoring of pathologies such as dry eye, glaucoma, diabetes, conjunctivitis, hyposphagmas, styes, etc., will be common, especially in the young population. This will be especially relevant in chronic or mild pathologies of the ocular surface, and in the follow-up of patients after cataract and diabetic retinopathy interventions.
CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, an increase in the incidence of certain ocular surface diseases has been perceived. The telematic follow-up of chronic or mild pathologies of the ocular surface entails the need to provide specific training for both the patient and the healthcare professional, in addition to screening and referral protocols that would optimise the flow of care.

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with peripheral facial palsy (PFP) at a tertiary care hospital.
METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study of patients with PFP treated at a tertiary medical center. We gathered demographic data, etiology, laterality, recurrence, recovery, clinical ophthalmology, severity according to the House-Brackmann (HB) scale, electrophysiological tests, medical services attended, medical and surgical treatment.
RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-three PFP were included, 135 (48%) were men and 148 (52%) were women p = 0.47). All patients had unilateral involvement. The mean age was 54 ± 20 years. The main etiology was idiopathic in 215 (76%) patients. Median recovery time was 7 weeks. Recovery was complete in 190 (67%) patients. One hundred and seventy (84%) patients with idiopathic PFP had complete recovery, versus 30 (16%) patients with non-idiopathic PFP (p < 0.01). The 84% of patients with HB grade II, recovered completely, while with HB grade VI only 17% recovered (p = 0.003). Two hundred and twenty-nine patients (81%) had lagophthalmos. The majority received ocular surface care treatment in 271 (96%) patients and of these 249 (88%) patients received oral corticosteroid therapy. Thirteen patients (5%) required ophthalmologic surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: PFP affects all age ranges, without predilection for sex and unilateral. Its main cause is idiopathic. Recovery is complete in most cases, being more favorable in mild and idiopathic affections. Most only require medical treatment.

OBJECTIVE: In 2013 we implemented an asynchronous telemedicine circuit for the diagnosis of eyelid diseases (tele-eyelid), connecting the outpatient primary healthcare with the hospital\'s specialists. The purpose of this study is to assess the use of telemedicine in the diagnosis of eyelid diseases by primary care teams, to evaluate its usefulness and to analyse the epidemiology of the pathological conditions referred to the tertiary level hospital, as well as the need for surgery.
METHODS: This study was carried out in the Spanish public health system, in a mainly rural area assisted by the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) and Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa. This is a retrospective, descriptive analysis of the telematic consultations undertaken between 2013 and 2019. The consultations between 2018 and 2019 underwent a further descriptive retrospective-prospective analysis to assess the conditions referred to the hospital.
RESULTS: Unnecessary referrals were avoided in 72% of telematic consultations. More than 50% of primary care practitioners used tele-eyelid. Up to 68% of the referrals were due to eyelid tumours, 50% needed surgery and 18%, a biopsy. Moreover, we found a high reliability between telematic and face-to-face diagnosis.
CONCLUSIONS: Teleophthalmology applied to eyelid pathology is a useful tool to improve access to specialized care and helps solving pathological conditions. It avoids unnecessary consultations and increases efficiency, both in primary and hospital care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of ophthalmological emergency visits to two tertiary hospital in all age groups during years 2014 and 2015.
METHODS: All patients who attended Ophthalmological Emergency Department from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015 were included in the study. The demographic variables studied were gender, age, place of origin, time of arrival, day of the week, month and year of the visit, the diagnosis, destination on discharge, total time of the visit and priority. Pathologies were categorised using codes from ICD-9, CM.
RESULTS: A total of 39,869 visits were made between 2014 and 2015. Emergency consultations were more frequent among women, on Mondays, and from April to June. The mean age of the patients was 46.24years old, and 73.42% of visits were classified as non-emergencies. The most frequent pathology was conjunctivitis (17.28%), followed by keratitis (15.31%), and vitreous detachment (5.37%). The pathology that led to more hospital admissions was orbital cellulitis (23%). The majority of patients (94.85%) were sent to their place of residence after the visit.
CONCLUSIONS: Given that the great majority of Ophthalmological Emergency visits are categorised as non-emergencies, measures need to be set up in order achieve a more effective care focused on emergency pathology without using unnecessary resources.