Background The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed practice of medicine and patient care worldwide. The impact of the pandemic on patients with uveitis is unknown. We developed the COVID-19 Practice Patterns Study Group to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on uveitis patient care. Methods This is a multicentre, cross-sectional survey of uveitis specialists practising worldwide. A web-based survey was distributed through the mailing lists of international uveitis societies to assess modifications in patient care, and use of immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs),aswell as considerations regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Results A diverse group consisting of 187 uveitis specialists from six continents participated in this survey. Most of these experts noted a disruption in clinical management of patients, including clinic closures or decrease in volume, patients missing in-person visits due to the fear of infection and difficulties obtaining laboratory testing. Most participants initiated (66.8%) and continued (93.3%) IMTs based on clinical presentation and did not modify their use of immunosuppressives. In cases of reported exposure to COVID-19 infection, most participants (65.3%) recommended no change in IMTs. However, 73.0% of the respondents did recommend holding all or select IMTs in case of COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 vaccine was recommended universally by almost all the specialists and 52% stated that they would counsel patients regarding the decreased immunogenicity and effectiveness of the vaccine in immunocompromised patients. Conclusions Uveitis patient care has changed significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. The recommendations will continue to evolve as new data on IMTs and vaccination become available. Data are available upon reasonable request. Available upon request.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行对葡萄膜炎患者护理的影响

背景 COVID-19 大流行显着改变了全世界的医学实践和患者护理。大流行对葡萄膜炎患者的影响尚不清楚。我们成立了 COVID-19 实践模式研究小组，以评估大流行对葡萄膜炎患者护理的影响。方法 这是一项针对全球执业葡萄膜炎专家的多中心、横断面调查。通过国际葡萄膜炎协会的邮件列表分发了一项基于网络的调查，以评估患者护理的修改、免疫调节疗法 (IMT) 的使用以及有关 COVID-19 疫苗接种的注意事项。结果 由来自六大洲的 187 名葡萄膜炎专家组成的多元化小组参与了这项调查。这些专家中的大多数都指出了患者临床管理的中断，包括诊所关闭或数量减少、患者因害怕感染而错过亲自就诊以及难以获得实验室检测。大多数参与者根据临床表现开始 (66.8%) 和继续 (93.3%) IMT，并且没有改变他们对免疫抑制剂的使用。在报告暴露于 COVID-19 感染的情况下，大多数参与者 (65.3%) 建议不改变 IMT。然而，73.0% 的受访者确实建议在感染 COVID-19 的情况下持有所有或部分 IMT。几乎所有专家都普遍推荐 COVID-19 疫苗，52% 的专家表示他们会就疫苗在免疫功能低下患者中的免疫原性和有效性降低向患者提供咨询。结论 自大流行开始以来，葡萄膜炎患者的护理发生了显着变化。随着有关 IMT 和疫苗接种的新数据可用，这些建议将继续发展。可根据合理要求提供数据。可应要求提供。