EyeWorld India June 2021 Issue

NEWS & OPINION EWAP JUNE 2021 53 by Terrence P. O’Brien, MD, and Jesse Pelletier, MD, FACS Contact information O’Brien: tobrien@med.miami.edu Pelletier: jesse.pelletier@oceanophthalmology.com Preventing COVID-19 transmission with povidone iodine T he ongoing COVID-19 pandemic rapidly spread across the globe, altered societal behaviors and fundamentally changed the delivery of healthcare. Recent surges across regions like the Asia-Pacific after periods of relative abatement have once again stretched healthcare resources to the limit. Viral evolution and enhanced viral fitness with variants arising from mutations now contribute to breakthrough cases even after vaccination. The pervasive threat and widespread distribution of this disease has provided an up-close look at the clinical course, transmission dynamics, and infection control measures as they evolve in a complex public health emergency. Steps have been taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through policies directed at reducing viral transmission. While some strategies have succeeded in preventing hospitals from being overburdened and others, such as vaccines, have significantly reduced severe outcomes, there are lingering concerns. The search for another layer of protection against SARS- CoV-2 has led some to revisit the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone iodine (PVP-I) as an adjunctive prevention practice. This approach was recently outlined in the March-April 2021 issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO). 1 From the earliest reported cases in the COVID-19 pandemic, ophthalmologists have been involved and at Diluted povidone iodine solution is placed on a patient’s ocular surface. Source: Jesse Pelletier, MD, FACS