DIY eye injury spike

Oxford Eye Hospital has seen the number of serious eye injuries increase during the coronavirus pandemic because of people doing more DIY during the lockdown.

Normally seeing only one case of a seriously traumatised eye every two to three weeks, the hospital recently treated six cases over just one week. Because of this, the eye hospital has urged people to wear eye protection while doing DIY or working in the garden.

The clinical lead for ophthalmology at the hospital trust, Stella Hornby, said: ‘We’re seeing patients with more serious eye injuries and people have needed operations to repair injuries which could potentially result in sight loss.’