Manish Kumar, OP
Bhubaneswar: Several persons suffering from eye-related ailments or who need regular follow ups from ophthalmologists are now finding it tough to do so during lockdown.
Several private doctors have decided to restrict their consultations or voluntarily closed their clinics while most of the optical shops are also closed due to the lockdown curbs. Several diabetic patients suffering from retinopathy, glaucoma patients and others are also suffering in silence.
While some hospitals have started telemedicine services, the regular physical checkups of the progress of their ailments have dealt a blow. On the other hand, some people using high power glasses are finding it a Herculean task to change or repair their spectacles in case their glasses have broken.
“There are many patients who need regular follow ups with doctors like diabetic patients with eye disorders, glaucoma patients, in rare cases of eye cancer and patients who need injection into their eyes. Their regular screening has been hit by the lockdown,” said Dr Suryasnata Rath, Director, Mithu Tulsi Chanrai Centre of LV Prasad Eye Institute, Bhubaneswar.
He also added that many hospitals have roped in telemedicine services to help in the treatment and follow ups. “We are using telemedicine services to follow up with such cases. We are tracking their developments and trying to help,” said a doctor.
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Other private practitioners claimed that they are now only handling emergency cases. Dr Anurag Mishra is an ophthalmologist in Cuttack. He said that he earlier used to give consultations to 90 patients per day while now he has been handling around 15 cases for the last one month.
“Most eye cases are not emergency cases so we have restricted personal physical consultations. We are handling or operating only serious cases of eye ailments. But before going for surgeries or physical assessment of serious cases, we are checking the need of the patients through calls and other photos/videos follow ups,” Dr Anurag added.
Meanwhile, many are affected with the closed optical shops which are often used by persons wearing power glasses.
“I suffer from hyperopia (farsightedness). I recently broke my glasses and now it has become tough for me to read papers and texts in computers or on laptops,” said Jyoti Priya, a 42-year-old techie in the city.
