COVID-19 impact on retinal detachment in Germany: seasonal peaks persist and shifts in surgical trends.

PURPOSE: This study investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with changes in incidence, seasonality, and surgical management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and tractional retinal detachment (TRD) in Germany.

METHODS

We performed an observational, retrospective analysis using data from the Diagnosis-Related Group database, covering 116,386 retinal detachment admissions between January 2019 and December 2022. RRD (ICD-10 H33.0) and TRD (ICD-10 H33.4) cases were examined separately. Seasonal decomposition and correlation analyses were applied to identify trends in admission numbers, surgical choices, and reoperations before and after the onset of COVID-19.

RESULTS

A total of 96,620 RRD and 19,766 TRD admissions were analyzed. Post-pandemic, RRD decreased by 8.5%, whereas TRD declined by 2.9%. Despite disruptions, established seasonal peaks remained evident, with RRD peaking in July and TRD in March and August. A negative correlation between COVID-19 deaths and RRD cases suggested a temporal association that may reflect barriers to timely care during pandemic peaks. Surgical practice shifted toward more definitive vitrectomy approaches, and reoperation rates for RRD rose slightly from 12.1 to 12.9%.

CONCLUSION

The pandemic correlated with reduced RRD admissions, smaller declines in TRD, and persistent seasonality in Germany. These findings underscore the importance of adaptive healthcare strategies that preserve timely surgical interventions and resource allocation for sight-threatening conditions during public health crises.