Kyle Blair, DO, of the department of ophthalmology at OhioHealth, and colleagues wrote in their poster that before their study, the incidence of intravitreal injection (IVI)-related infectious endophthalmitis (IE) due to patient mask use had not been fully explored.
“Mandatory face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced another variable that may affect rates of IVI-related IE,” they wrote. “Two recent studies proposed that patients wearing loose-fitting face masks may increase the risk of respiratory droplet contamination of the ocular surface.”
Researchers