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SURAT: Despite having watery eyes for the last four months, 47-year-old computer engineer Darsh Parikh avoided visiting an ophthalmologist. He could not concentrate on computer screen also for long, but feared contracting Covid-19 if he visited a hospital.
Recently, he was shocked when a doctor whom he finally consulted informed him that he was suffering from severe ocular inflammation that could also lead to vision loss.
Like Parikh, large number of people are taking solace in over-the-counter eye drops and medicines purchased from nearby medical stores, but later suffer from severe swelling and redness .
Ophthalmologists have reported a significant rise in cases of eye inflammation and mature cataract as patients are avoiding visits to eye hospitals fearing Covid infection. Patients who delayed cataract surgeries during the lockdown and fear of infection are now suffering from mature or hyper mature cataract that can lead to lens induced glaucoma.