Kolkata: COVID19 pandemic is the biggest public healthcare emergency facing the world today. The virus can have a devastating effect on the body, impacting many organs. However, not many people are aware that it can affect the eyes too, says Dr. Madhur A Hingorani, Consultant – Ophthalmologist, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Kolkata.
More than a year of the Covid pandemic has gone by, and ophthalmologists are gaining more knowledge about the disease with every passing day. It is now understood that Covid affects the retina (the posterior part of the eye) as well as its nerve. The disease can lead to formation of blood clots in the patient’s body which can block blood vessels in the retina. The patient may not notice anything wrong if the blocked blood vessel is minor or carries deoxygenated blood. However, in some cases, the main blood vessel carrying oxygenated blood to the eyes gets impacted by the virus, leading to deterioration or total loss of the…