Some COVID-19 patients face sudden vision loss: Expert

ERZURUM from Turkey

COVID-19 can cause sudden vision loss due to retinal venous occlusion, a Turkish health expert has said.

Dr Orhan Ates, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Atatürk University of Turkey in the eastern province of Erzurum, told Anadolu Agency that they had received young patients with COVID-19 with sudden losses of vision.

“After examinations and tests, we found that the vision loss was caused by retinal venous occlusion linked to COVID-19. In addition to medical therapy, we applied hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat these patients,” said Ates, also deputy chief medical officer of the university’s research hospital.

“As a result of the treatments, patients recovered almost all of the damage COVID-19 caused to the retina and vision levels returned to normal,” he added.

He pointed out that the cases mentioned are also important because of the local effect on the eye alongside the systemic side effects of the disease.

“We have shared with global scientific circles that COVID-19 can cause retinal vein occlusion as well as how it can be treated,” Ates noted.

The pandemic has killed more than 2.42 million people in 192 countries and regions since its onset in December 2019.

More than 109.57 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now exceeding 61.64 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States, India and Brazil remain the most affected countries in terms of the number of cases.

* Written by Seda Sevencan

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