My eyes are red, should I go to the hospital?

The SARS-COV2 virus causing COVID19 has us all in a tizzy. Some people can’t wait to go out with lockdowns being eased, while others are even more afraid of the possible second wave of infections. So many questions buzzing in our minds daily, such as: Is it safe to see my doctor for check ups? What if I go and the patients waiting in the clinic are infected? Aren’t some of them asymptomatic? What if I catch the virus too? What if my doctor has it as well? How do I know when it’s safe? Do doctors even know the answer to that? Sadly, we don’t. So now what?

Eye-wise, ophthalmologists have a guide to say whether the eye concern is a true emergency needing immediate care versus something that can be managed safely at home. Cases of trauma including chemical injuries naturally have to go straight to the ER. The same with sudden loss of vision in the absence of a traumatic event. What about other eye concerns? How do we know they are urgent? Most doctors have started offering online consultations so that their patients, old and new, can contact them and help them figure out whether their complaint is benign or serious.

You are home gardening when a leaf falls from a tree and hits your eye. You start to rub the eye and notice some redness plus blurring of vision. Do you go to the ER right now? Stay calm. Assess the situation first: Is there any bleeding? How is my vision relative to the unaffected eye? Test this by covering the better eye while looking ahead then perform the same thing on the other eye. If the affected eye can see but the vision is somewhat fuzzy, the blurring may not be sight-threatening. However, if you can only see movement and ill-defined shapes, a more active management should be done. In any case, seek out an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. 

A quick search on Facebook will lead you to one. Contact the eye MD who will send a visual acuity chart for better assessment. The consultation will then be done via video call or you will be asked for photos of the eye. Depending on the findings, you will be given a prescription or be advised to go to your nearest ER.

What about eye redness or “sore/pink eyes” (conjunctivitis)? This is a common complaint year-round and is a generally benign and self-limiting viral infection that we get from crowded areas especially when we touch our eyes without washing our hands. However, both doctors and patients should be wary about this especially since we’re in quarantine and are hardly exposed to other people.  

Several medical articles have come out warning doctors that this could be a case of COVID19. Many patients affected with COVID19 are asymptomatic. No cough, colds, fever and seemingly no other symptoms except sore eyes. Again, if this is the only symptom, best consult your ophthalmologist online and you will be guided accordingly. You will likely be given eye drops and advised not to go out for 14 days to tide over the infection. 

We’re in the new normal now. Let’s not panic when we have medical concerns. Consult your doctors online first.

Margarita Bondoc-Hermosa is an ophthalmologist practising in Metro Manila and the Visayas. She can be reached on facebook.com/margaritabondoc.eyemd