COVID-19 & Vision Health

Across the globe, many countries are navigating their way through lifting restriction measures and returning some form of normality to society. Although these are steps in the right direction and reason to be optimistic, we must remind ourselves that this easing of restrictions will be a slow and staggered approach.

This is important to allow the situation to be tightly monitored, will ensure stricter measures can be reinforced should outbreaks reoccur and ultimately, will reduce the chance of any major setbacks.

People living with visual impairments and blindness have special considerations for re-integrating into society, following the impact of COVID-19 globally. Of primary concern will be the ability of people who are partially-sighted or blind to abide by essential hygiene practices and social distancing measures, which are critical to mitigate the effects of the infectious disease into the future.

It is imperative that the visually-impaired and blind community recognise that they are considered an “at risk” population in terms of COVID-19 and are distinctly aware that they will be one of the last groups to return to the clinic for face-to-face consultations and non-urgent or emergency treatments.

This can be a major reason for worry among people receiving regular treatment, particularly those receiving eye injections for age-related and diabetes-related eye diseases, such as wet Age-related Macular Degeneration and Diabetes-related Macular Edema. We believe it is essential that you understand the full implications of COVID-19 on your health and lifestyle so that you are informed and best prepared to cope with these challenges.

Retina International understands that many people within the retina community may also feel disengaged from society because of their impaired vision and the current pandemic may compound these feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Through a weekly news bulletin, Retina International is dedicated to addressing all of these concerns by educating and empowering the global retina community through regular updates and evidence-based advice related to COVID-19.

If there is a topic that you wish to have discussed in our news bulletin, or if you have any pressing questions which you wish to ask, please feel free to email sean.heagney@retina-international.org.