Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19
Background: People with disabilities, including blindness, were more likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic than people without disabilities. The particulars of the callers with visual disabilities, and their reasons could help us to understand their concerns during the COVID-19 emergency lo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/DLJO.DLJO_4_24 |
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| author | Abhijeet Beniwal Suraj Singh Senjam |
| author_facet | Abhijeet Beniwal Suraj Singh Senjam |
| author_sort | Abhijeet Beniwal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
People with disabilities, including blindness, were more likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic than people without disabilities. The particulars of the callers with visual disabilities, and their reasons could help us to understand their concerns during the COVID-19 emergency lockdown. This paper reported various reasons given by the callers who were visually disabled to the hotline of visual rehabilitation services during the lockdown period.
Methodology:
A retrospective review of data maintained in the telerehabilitation register for people with visual disabilities of a tertiary eye care center in north India was done from April 19, 2021, to May 27, 2021 (lockdown period). Age, gender, self-reported visual acuity, and diagnosis were extracted from the register. An inductive content analysis assessed the callers’ reasons and presented.
Results:
A total of 101 callers were noted with males predominant (79.2%), over half of the callers aged between 16 and 25 years. Nearly half of them reported that their visual acuity was <3/60 in both eyes. Retinitis pigmentosa (14.2%), retinal detachment (6.1%), parents of stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity (7.1%), and heredomacular degeneration (5.1%) optic atrophy (4.0%) were common ocular problems as indicated by the callers. The most common reason for calls was issues related to disability certificates (30.7%), followed by calls to avail general eye care (20.9%) and low vision rehabilitation consultation (20.2%). Other reasons for calls were related to admission to vocational training centers (7.8%), schools for the blind (6.2%), and livelihood support during the lockdown (3.1%), respectively.
Conclusions:
During the emergency COVID-19 lockdown period, a great majority of people with visual disabilities needed services other than eye care. Disability certificate was the most concern among the callers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-352404625f4b4a37b9f5992d75c70ffd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0972-0200 2454-2784 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj-art-352404625f4b4a37b9f5992d75c70ffd2025-08-20T02:11:18ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsDelhi Journal of Ophthalmology0972-02002454-27842024-04-0134212012510.4103/DLJO.DLJO_4_24Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19Abhijeet BeniwalSuraj Singh SenjamBackground: People with disabilities, including blindness, were more likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic than people without disabilities. The particulars of the callers with visual disabilities, and their reasons could help us to understand their concerns during the COVID-19 emergency lockdown. This paper reported various reasons given by the callers who were visually disabled to the hotline of visual rehabilitation services during the lockdown period. Methodology: A retrospective review of data maintained in the telerehabilitation register for people with visual disabilities of a tertiary eye care center in north India was done from April 19, 2021, to May 27, 2021 (lockdown period). Age, gender, self-reported visual acuity, and diagnosis were extracted from the register. An inductive content analysis assessed the callers’ reasons and presented. Results: A total of 101 callers were noted with males predominant (79.2%), over half of the callers aged between 16 and 25 years. Nearly half of them reported that their visual acuity was <3/60 in both eyes. Retinitis pigmentosa (14.2%), retinal detachment (6.1%), parents of stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity (7.1%), and heredomacular degeneration (5.1%) optic atrophy (4.0%) were common ocular problems as indicated by the callers. The most common reason for calls was issues related to disability certificates (30.7%), followed by calls to avail general eye care (20.9%) and low vision rehabilitation consultation (20.2%). Other reasons for calls were related to admission to vocational training centers (7.8%), schools for the blind (6.2%), and livelihood support during the lockdown (3.1%), respectively. Conclusions: During the emergency COVID-19 lockdown period, a great majority of people with visual disabilities needed services other than eye care. Disability certificate was the most concern among the callers.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/DLJO.DLJO_4_24impact due to covid-19 lockdowntelehealth services content analysisvisual disabilities |
| spellingShingle | Abhijeet Beniwal Suraj Singh Senjam Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology impact due to covid-19 lockdown telehealth services content analysis visual disabilities |
| title | Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 |
| title_full | Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 |
| title_short | Analysis of Calls to Vision Rehabilitation Center during COVID-19 |
| title_sort | analysis of calls to vision rehabilitation center during covid 19 |
| topic | impact due to covid-19 lockdown telehealth services content analysis visual disabilities |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/DLJO.DLJO_4_24 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abhijeetbeniwal analysisofcallstovisionrehabilitationcenterduringcovid19 AT surajsinghsenjam analysisofcallstovisionrehabilitationcenterduringcovid19 |