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  • Eye Health During COVID-19

  • Turn to the Academy’s collection of EyeSmart articles for the latest information about coronavirus and your eyes, advice for patients and tips for staying healthy at home.

    Also available in Spanish: Guía de coronavirus para pacientes oftálmicos

    Patient Information

    • Eye Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic
      If you are visiting your ophthalmologist’s office for routine eye care or for an urgent need, you may feel nervous about venturing out during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). But rest assured that eye care clinics follow strict hygiene and disinfection guidelines to keep you safe. Here are some changes to eye exams and procedures that you may encounter at your next appointment.
      Download a printable version of this article in English (PDF).
      • Descargue la versión en español (PDF).

      You may use this PDF handout in the following ways:

      • Print this PDF and give it to patients/staff
      • Email the PDF to your patients or send via patient portal
      • Link directly to the PDF above (ensures you’re always providing the latest version)
    • How COVID-19 Changed Children's Eyes
      Here are some common problems eye doctors are reporting as children catch up on their pediatrician and eye clinic appointments. Find out what parents should watch for and how everyone can help get kids’ eyes back on track.

    • Do People With AMD Have a Higher Risk of COVID Complications?
      Patients with macular degeneration may have an elevated risk of COVID complications and death, a new study suggests. But eye experts caution that more research is needed to understand this risk.

    • Advice for Patients with Macular Degeneration
      Patients who rely on regular eye injections may face tough decisions about traveling to the doctor's office. Here's what you need to know, according to medical experts at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

    • A Pandemic Is No Time To Ignore Diabetes Care
      People with diabetes who catch COVID-19 are more likely than others to develop severe illness and die. There are no easy answers as to why. But we do know that the best defense against severe COVID-19 is good diabetes management. Here's how to get started.

    • Could Eyeglasses Protect Against COVID-19?
      Wearing eyeglasses may lower your chances of contracting the coronavirus, according to a new study from Hubei Province, China. But does this mean everyone should wear eye protection to prevent COVID-19? Not necessarily, experts say.

    • Pink Eye May Be a Symptom of COVID-19 in Children
      A new study suggests that children may experience eye-related symptoms of the coronavirus more often than adults. But don’t hit the panic button if your child has red, itchy eyes, say ophthalmologists.

    • How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Your Glasses
      It may be one of the more innocuous problems of the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s a nuisance nonetheless: fogged up eyewear. It happens when warm breath escapes from the top of your mask and lands on the cooler surface of your lens. Learn to fit your face mask properly and avoid this common problem.

    • Don't Skip Preschool Vision Screens During COVID-19
      Vision screenings for young children usually take place during wellness visits to the pediatrician. But with wellness visits declining during the pandemic, many children’s eyes are going unchecked. Here's why your child's vision screen is essential.

    • Gene Therapy for Blindness May Hold Key to Coronavirus Vaccine
      An experimental COVID-19 vaccine called AAVCOVID could end the coronavirus pandemic in record time, experts say. Learn how ophthalmic researchers helped drive this groundbreaking development.

    • Facedown Treatment for COVID-19 Poses Risk of Vision Loss
      As doctors use ventilators to treat the sickest patients with COVID-19, some patients are being placed on their stomachs to boost the amount of oxygen in their blood. But eye experts warn that facedown positioning, also called prone positioning, could put patients at risk for vision loss.

    • What to Know If You Took Aralen and Plaquenil for COVID-19
      Some patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) were treated with the malaria drugs Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) or Aralen (chloroquine). These drugs are no longer recommended for the emergency treatment of COVID-19. Patients who were treated with these drugs should be aware of possible side effects, including eye problems.

    • Is It Coronavirus or Allergies?
      Are those watery eyes and stuffy nose symptoms of the new coronavirus or just seasonal allergies? Learn how to tell the difference.

    Eye Health at Home

    Staying Safe Around the House