Nagpur: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to rise in detection of two major eye disorders – Ocular Surface Inflammation (OSI) and Retinal Vasculitis (RV), according to doctors. Anxiety of having contracted the dreaded Mucormycosis, early symptoms of which are seen in eye, nose or teeth among recovered Covid patients, has led to detection of the two disorders. The two disorders are commonly seen in ophthalmology and presently co-related with other factors and not just Covid.
According to some eye specialists, home isolated patients are reporting OSI (redness in eyes) while those who were admitted for Covid treatment are generally suffering from RV (clotting in eyes). Both the disorders were witnessed during the first wave as well but as a large number of people were infected and many Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, cases emerged, these two ophthalmic posy-Covid complications have been suspected this time.
A well-known eye specialist said that dry eye syndrome has come to be known as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome. It is due to increased screen time. Clotting in the eye can result due to multiple factors, with Covid being one of them. Other doctors said that patients are self-diagnosing the redness in eyes as Mucormycosis, which following diagnosis does not turn out to be the case.
Mostly, patients are suffering from OSI or conjunctivitis. But these symptoms are being misdiagnosed to be Mucormycosis by the patients themselves. Retinal vasculitis or vascular occlusion (blockage of blood vessels, usually with a clot) occurs either due to increased inflammatory or coagulating factors, they said.
