PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, May 3: Covid-19 is known to affect our eyes and around 1-3 percent of people infected with the disease get conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.
A recent study published in the JAMA Ophthalmology says the incidence of retinal vein occlusions appeared to increase in 6 months after the Covid-19 diagnosis. Retinal vein occlusion occurs when a blood clot blocks the vein which in some cases could cause vision loss.
In an interview with lagatar24.com, Dr Sunil Kumar of the Eye Department at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, shared, “Covid has been associated with increased incidence of thromboembolic phenomenon (blockage of blood vessels) in the body. Increased incidence of heart attacks and stroke have been known to occur. Another manifestation of this phenomenon is blockage of retinal blood vessels leading to vision loss.”
Explaining more about the disorder, Dr Sunil said, “Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) is a common cause of vision loss in older individuals, and the second most common retinal vascular disease after diabetic retinopathy. It is normally seen in patients above the age of 55 years, and risk factors include diabetes, hypertension, smoking, hyperlipidaemia.”
Dr Sunil says that there have been many studies that say Covid-19 can cause multiple ocular disorders such as conjunctivitis, orbital mucormycosis (black fungus), optic neuropathy, and retinovascular disorders, uveitis and neuro-ophthalmological disorders and it is important for patients recovering from Covid to get their eyes checked.
“Often, many of these above-mentioned disorders are asymptomatic during their early stages, and create visual loss and disturbances once they have reached an advanced stage,” warned Dr Sunil.
“No special preventive medicine is recommended since the incidence of these serious eye manifestations is low. Early detection and appropriate treatment remain the main way to tackle this problem. Patients who do develop ophthalmic manifestations of Covid-19 should not worry and seek immediate help to prevent complications,” says Dr Sunil.
Describing the precautionary measures Dr Sunil said that touching eyes with dirty hands should be prevented. Also, wear sunglasses when going out in the scorching heat to protect your eyes from any kind of damage by the intense rays of the Sun.
“The first step to resolving the issue is awareness. Being aware of the possible ocular complications of Covid, and being able to recognise the symptoms themselves is half the battle won. Timely intervention by the right specialist will solve the rest of the problem,” the expert concluded.
