Material and Methods: The patients who were followed up at the retina unit of our hospital. The patients were divided into four periods: Group 1, March 11, 2019-September 11, 2019; Group 2, September 12, 2019-March 11, 2020; Group 3, March 12, 2020-September 11, 2020; and Group 4, September 12, 2020-March 11, 2021. Group 1 and Group 2 were pre-pandemic groups, Group 3 and Group 4 were post-pandemic groups. This study is retrospective.

Results: The ratio of the number of patients who underwent glaucoma surgery to the number of those presenting to the retina unit was found to be statistically significantly increased in Group 4 compared to the remaining three groups (p<0.0001 for all). The ratio of the number of patients who were followed up in the retina unit and underwent surgery due to neovascular or silicone oil-induced glaucoma to the total number of patients who presented to the retina unit was statistically significantly increased in Group 4 compared to Groups 1 and 2 (p=0.001 for all).

Conclusion: This study is the first to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on progression to glaucoma surgery in patients followed up at the retina unit. We think that the number of patients that required surgery for neovascular or silicone oil-induced glaucoma in Group 4 increased because the patients in Group 3 time period could not go to their regular check-ups due to COVID-19. We consider that the fear of contracting the virus, implemented lockdowns, need for social isolation, and inability to apply timely treatments due to the pandemic conditions are effective in this situation. Keywords : COVID-19, Glaucoma, Retina, Silicone oil-induced glaucoma, Neovascular glaucoma