why it’s important to get your eye checkups during Covid

With the sudden outburst of the pandemic at the beginning of this year, everything from our work to our daily lifestyle is hampered. We couldn’t go out for a walk in the morning, let alone the fear of visiting an ophthalmologist for a routine eye checkup. But if things continue to be in this sense, this could be problematic for the health of people who are staying inside their four walls.

How can your eye health get affected during Covid?

Long office hours

In the Covid-19 pandemic, where maintaining hygiene and practicing distance has come into play, many of the offices are being shut down to eliminate the chances of spreading the virus. And to cope with the work, our nine to five office hours have been converted into work from home hours, with the only change of sitting in front of your computer or laptop LED screens for hours. From business meetings on Google meet to file submission, your eye is taking up a load of exposure to the computer screen lights for more than ten hours every day.

 More TV time for kids

With every school getting shut down, kids get to stay at home all the time. And when you couldn’t take your kids anywhere on their summer holidays, watching TV and playing their video games is the only thing they can do to be entertained. Spending more hours in front of TV screens is harmful to their eyes as it could cause a decrease in their eyesight or maybe redness or any other severe eye disorder.

Not getting your eyesight checked

If you already have low eyesight and you are wearing corrective power lenses or glasses, then you must already know the importance of regular eye checkups. Even if your eye power is shifted by points, getting the right power corrective lenses is necessary. Wearing high or low power glasses can cause irritation to the eyes, leading to redness, itching, or even more problematic eye condition.

However, blurry eye vision is something you need to schedule an appointment with an eye clinic as soon as possible but if you have any other serious issues such as the following mentioned below, contact your ophthalmologist quickly.

If you have redness in your eyes, irritation, or having eye pain associated with symptoms like headache, vomiting, dizziness, and nausea.

If you have injured your eyes especially from a sharp object, you must see a specialist. Even if the injury looks minor, it is adviced to consult an ophthalmologist in advance.

If you can see new floaters or flash in your vision

If you have diabetic retinopathy or any other condition for which you need to get regular eye injections

Can coronavirus spread through your eyes?

Yes, just like your nose and mouth, coronavirus can spread through your eyes if they are exposed to the virus. If you are maintaining social distancing to avoid getting in direct contact with the virus from the sneeze or cough of an infected person, it is not necessary that you will be prevented from the spread. Touching or rubbing your eyes after touching any object contaminated with the virus will expose your eyes to the infection as well.

How to protect your eyes during the Covid-19 pandemic

• Choosing glasses over the contact lens

People who wear contact lenses tend to touch their eyes more often, increasing the chance of contamination. Although wearing contact lenses directly doesn’t pose any threat to your health, but maintaining proper hygiene care of your eyes as well as the contact lenses can prevent the risk of getting infected.

• Cover your eyes as much as possible

We all follow the hygiene safety and social distancing rule to prevent ourselves and our family from the infection of coronavirus. But wearing a mask whenever you are stepping out of your house is not the only thing you can do. Wearing an extra layer of protection for your eyes can shield them from getting exposed to the contaminated droplets from an infected person or contaminated object.

• Schedule your treatment

If you have a serious condition such as diabetic retinopathy and need to get your regular dose of eye injection, then schedule your appointments with your ophthalmologist in advance.

• Pile up the stock of your eye medicines

As things are not like before, expecting that you will get your medication anytime at your nearby pharmacy will be foolish. Try to pile up a stock of at least two months in advance, and don’t wait for the last minute to contact a pharmacy for your eye medicine or eye drops.

• Get enough sleep

Working all day long and binge-watching all night long will not do any help for your poor eyes. Not only your vision may get affected by this tiresome schedule, but your eye muscles will also get tired from the excess stress, so the least you can do to take good care of your eyes is to get at least seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

• Practice safe hygiene

Avoid touching your eyes unnecessarily and practice regular hand washing as your eyes are one of the few parts of your body that are naked and are exposed to the environment directly. If you are feeling intense itching in your eyes, contact an eye specialist, and use clean tissue wipes to clean your eyes. If you have a habit of touching your eyes, try wearing simple glasses regularly, and you will let go of that habit.

Things to consider if you are visiting an eye clinic during the pandemic:

• Wear your mask to the appointment all the time; some clinics may not also allow you to go inside without a mask.
• To avoid crowd gathering, you may be asked to wait outside in your car instead of the waiting room of the clinic.
• You will be provided with hand sanitizer or maybe a head and show cover (also, mask in case you are not carrying one).
• Safe distancing will be practiced, and the doctor and other health professionals will be wearing a face shield.
• You may be asked to return and come after a few days if you have a high temperature along with a cough or any other covid symptoms.

Hudson Ophthalmology is one of the best eye care center in New York, attending to all your eye health needs with specialized professionals and the most advanced equipment and surgical techniques.Feel free to contact us for your eye checkup or any other eye health need in this time of pandemic as we are dedicated to providing the best eye care to all our patients while using all the necessary preventive measures to decrease the risk of spread of coronavirus.