Covid-19 and eye care

The world is in the grip of a pandemic of viral infections due to the feared Corona virus. Because of this, a national lockdown is in place, scheduled until end of April. In Pasteur Eye Hospital, all routine consultations and operations were halted even before the lockdown. At the time of writing, only emergency and urgent cases are seen, and operated if necessary.

Eye infections due to corona virus are uncommon. In patients hospitalised in China for Covid, one out of thirty had conjunctivitis. In the US, the incidence has been reported as 0,8%. This infection will cause a red eye, watery discharge, and discomfort. If you have these symptoms, please inform the treating eye specialist if you also have flu-like or other symptoms as well.

The lockdown is scheduled to end at the end of April. Unfortunately, by then the pandemic will probably still be with us. At Pasteur Eye Hospital we are developing a protocol for screening and treating patients when our doors open for routine work.

The health, and indeed, life, of eye patients is the primary concern of Pasteur Eye Hospital. When entering the complex, you will for example be asked about travel, possible contact with infected people, and symptoms such as fever, muscle pains, chest complaints, and flu-like symptoms. Once inside, for a period of time, distancing will be practiced, as well as regular washing or disinfecting of hands, and probably wearing of masks.

All of this is to protect patients seeking eye care from Covid-19, and to aid in flattening the incidence curve of the pandemic. Therefore we aim to create a safe environment where quality eye care can be delivered as before the Covid-19 pandemic.