You are here

Responses

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
PostScript
Letters
SARS: a timely reminder
Compose a Response to This Article
Compose Response

More information about text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Author Information
First or given name, e.g. 'Peter'.
Your last, or family, name, e.g. 'MacMoody'.
Your email address, e.g. higgs-boson@gmail.com
Your role and/or occupation, e.g. 'Orthopedic Surgeon'.
Your organization or institution (if applicable), e.g. 'Royal Free Hospital'.
Statement of Competing Interests

PLEASE NOTE:

  • A rapid response is a moderated but not peer reviewed online response to a published article in a BMJ journal; it will not receive a DOI and will not be indexed unless it is also republished as a Letter, Correspondence or as other content. Find out more about rapid responses.
  • We intend to post all responses which are approved by the Editor, within 14 days (BMJ Journals) or 24 hours (The BMJ), however timeframes cannot be guaranteed. Responses must comply with our requirements and should contribute substantially to the topic, but it is at our absolute discretion whether we publish a response, and we reserve the right to edit or remove responses before and after publication and also republish some or all in other BMJ publications, including third party local editions in other countries and languages
  • Our requirements are stated in our rapid response terms and conditions and must be read. These include ensuring that: i) you do not include any illustrative content including tables and graphs, ii) you do not include any information that includes specifics about any patients,iii) you do not include any original data, unless it has already been published in a peer reviewed journal and you have included a reference, iv) your response is lawful, not defamatory, original and accurate, v) you declare any competing interests, vi) you understand that your name and other personal details set out in our rapid response terms and conditions will be published with any responses we publish and vii) you understand that once a response is published, we may continue to publish your response and/or edit or remove it in the future.
  • By submitting this rapid response you are agreeing to our terms and conditions for rapid responses and understand that your personal data will be processed in accordance with those terms and our privacy notice.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Vertical Tabs

Other responses

Jump to comment:

  • Published on: 5 February 2020
    OPHTHALMOLOGISTS IN THE FRONT LINE OF THE WUHAN VIRUS
    • Seng Chee Loon, Ophthalmologist Department of Ophthalmology, National University Health System, Singapore
    • Other Contributors:
      • Victor Koh, Ophthalmologist
      • Katherine Lun, Ophthalmologist

    It has been seventeen years since the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS -CoV)1 and in 2004, we reported the presence of SARS-CoV in human tears and highlighted the possibility of human transmission through tears2.

    A new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has emerged recently in China.3 A recent report highlighted the possibility of transmission through tears.4 This thus serves as a timely reminder for ophthalmologists and healthcare professionals to take necessary precautions in the clinic. Furthermore, asymptomatic patients are potentially infective.3

    As ophthalmologists, we sit eye-to-eye with our patients and this close proximity puts us at high risk of being exposed to such infections. When measuring intraocular pressure under topical anaesthesia, our fingers are in contact with the periocular skin or fluorescein-stained tears and it is conceivable that poor hand hygiene increases risk of disease transmission. The tips of reusable bottles of anaesthesia may also come into contact with tear fluid or eyelashes of patients at risk. Also, the use of Schirmer’s test for dry eyes or research purposes, might be sources of infection if the tear samples are not stored properly. It is thus important to ensure good hand hygiene, to wear surgical masks, and if handling infected patients, to don personal protective equipment (PPE) and goggles. It is also important to ensure proper disinfection of reusable equipment (such as tonometer tips). Alternat...

    Show More
    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.