HYDERABAD: Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, usually a seasonal eye condition that occurs every year, has now become a possible symptom of Covid-19, a senior eye specialist has said.
According to Dr Sridhar, a consultant ophthalmologist, Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, people should watch out for conjunctivitis as it is being viewed as a symptom of Covid-19 that is spread by new mutated strains of the Coronavirus.
Any sign of redness in the eyes should be taken seriously, and it would be best to isolate oneself till a medical practitioner has a look, and people should also avoid touching their eyes, he said.
Meanwhile, ophthalmologists have noticed an increased number of cases of people with worsening glaucoma and cataracts this year when compared to last year when many patients missed regular checkups in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the last quarter of 2019, less than 10 per cent of all cataract patients were suffering from advanced cataract, but this number jumped to 50 per cent in the last quarter of 2020. Cases of dry eyes due to digital eye strain similarly jumped from 10 to 30-50 per cent over the same period.
Eye care specialists have also reported complications in previous corneal transplant patients such as rejection of cornea and high eye pressure, while people with diabetes ignored their eye check-ups, leading to severe complications in their retina, according to Dr Gaurav Arora.
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