We do not realize it often, but the Covid pandemic is playing havoc on our eyes, directly and indirectly.
Pink eye or conjunctivitis is a WHO-recognised covid19 early-symptom. In this case, your eye gets a direct hit from the viral infection. Usually, the condition gets healed with time. But complications may arise if you fail to take necessary precautions like not touching and rubbing eyes, using medicated eye drops, avoiding dust, heat, and other stressors.
However, the more severe and long-term impacts on eyes arise from the lack of access to regular and emergency eye checkups due to lockdown restrictions. Many eye specialists are confined within their homes, and the risk of infection is scaring people away from visiting eye clinics. Even for emergency eye conditions, people have no option to get immediate medical eye care. Such delays aggravate eye conditions and result in loss of the opportunities to early-detect and cure eye diseases.
You need to be extra cautious with your eyes in this pandemic situation. In the absence of immediate medical assistance, you should learn and practice following at-home eye care guidelines to protect your vision.
Homecare for eyes during this pandemic
Relieve your eyes more often – We often read in low lights, watch digital screens for long hours without realizing how stressful these activities are for our eyes. The best advice is to avoid such habits to relieve your eyes from unnecessary stress.
Use your eyeglasses – Wearing a contact lens can cause abrasion in the eyes and dry your eyes faster than usual. Besides, while wearing contact lenses, we touch eyes and the surrounding areas and unknowingly increase the chances of eye infections. So, wear eyeglasses instead of contact lenses whenever possible, at least during the pandemic situation.
No touching, no rubbing – Rubbing eyes is a common habit for even the slightest discomfort in the eyes. It does not solve the condition; instead, it aggravates the disease, causing unnecessary abrasion, tearing of blood vessels in the eyes, and increasing the chances of microbial eye infections. So, be careful. Do not touch or rub your eyes. If you feel any discomfort, let your eyes rest for some time, use medicated eye lubricants, and drink lots of water. If the condition persists, try checking with your nearest doctor.
Use protective goggles – Try wearing sunglasses or protective goggles if you have exposure to bright lighting, dust, flying particles, electrical flash, and chemicals. It can save your eyes from getting hurt. Also, try to avoid such environments, if not impossible.
Stock and use eye lubricants – Various over-the-counter(OTC) artificial tear-based eye drops are available for eye lubrication purposes. These eyedrops replicate the natural composition of tear and very effective to hydrate and cleanse dust and particles on the eyes.
Guidelines for visiting eye clinics during the pandemic
It is not possible to maintain physical distancing with doctors if you are going for an eye checkup. Fortunately, all primary eye clinics keep Covid-protocol stringently, starting from using PPEs to sanitization and safe distancing within premises. So, you should not be worry if you follow a few simple steps.
- Book an appointment with your eye doctor or eye clinic before you visit. It will help them to prepare according to pandemic protocols.
- Wear and carry personal protective gear like gloves, skullcap, masks, goggles, and sanitizer bottles.
- Avoid crowded places and transports. Maintain safe distancing.
- While in front of a doctor, remove only the necessary protection like goggles. Do not open the mask or skullcap.
Finally, do not let the situation overpower your nerves. Mental stress is very detrimental to physical wellbeing. Follow the simple steps we mentioned, and protect yourself from Covid19. The Retina Centre wishes the best health to your eyes. Feel free to reach us and consult our panel of expert eye care specialists.