HYDERABAD: As people avoiding going for follow-ups to hospitals and many stayed glued to smartphones or laptops at home, the pandemic has significantly worsened the severity of their eye conditions. It has primarily resulted in an increase in the case of dry eyes, reports a private hospital from Hyderabad that undertook an analysis of cases received in 2019 and 2020. The hospital found that there was an increase in the number of patients suffering from advanced cataracts, eye infections, severe dry eyes also known as digital eye strain and even corneal graft rejection.
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad on Friday, Dr Gaurav Arora, regional medical director-Telangana, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital said, “In the last quarter of 2019, less than 10 per cent of all cataract patients coming to our hospital were suffering from advanced cataract. In the last quarter of 2020, this figure jumped to 50 per cent, a five-fold increase. The cases of dry eyes due to digital eye strain similarly jumped from 10 per cent to 30-50 per cent over the same period.”
He further said, “We noticed worsening of existing cases of glaucoma in many patients as they hesitated to come for regular follow-ups. There were also complications in previous corneal transplant patients such as rejection of cornea and high eye pressure. People with diabetes ignored their eye check-ups during the pandemic period, leading to severe complications in their retina.”
The hospital’s eye specialists pointed out that diabetic patients aged above 50 must get their eyes screened at least once a year by an ophthalmologist, as over 30 per cent of such patients end up developing some form of eye disease.