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Puebloans who skip preventative medical care suffer unintended consequences, such as blindness or untreatable cancer, as they continue to adhere to isolation precautions for fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus.
“I’ve seen quite a few people over the last three years who have lost their sight because they didn’t come to the hospital,” said Dr. Paul Rastrelli, ophthalmologist at Rocky Mountain Eye Center. “It’s a significant proportion (of patients) and when someone goes blind, even if it’s a person, it’s really heartbreaking.”
Rastrelli said there have been well-documented cases of patients visiting their doctor with advanced cancer, for example, “and that’s true in our profession as well. Patients often have other comorbidities such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). ), so they are very afraid.
“They weigh the risks because if they get COVID, they know they could die,” he said.
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Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment spokeswoman Sarah Joseph said her department has launched informational and social media campaigns to encourage Pueblo residents to seek routine treatment.
“Since the vaccines came out, medical providers have been better able to provide services in the community. The message is, ‘It’s okay, it’s safe, and all of these doctor’s offices have safety precautions and standards that they practice,'” Joseph said.
Joseph said public health and hospital officials are seeing cases of cancer and heart disease that are “much worse” because patients are not receiving routine preventive care.
Rastrelli said some of his patients with well-established diagnoses like glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetes “know they have blind diseases. But they’re so concerned about contracting COVID that they’re just staying away.”
“I’ve had several patients who see decently in one eye, have lost vision in the other eye and are just idle and coping,” he said. “They may be undergoing chemotherapy or have immunosuppression and don’t want to attack risk.”
Also known as the “silent thief of the eye,” glaucoma often goes undetected until it’s too late. Often, patients don’t notice the loss of their lateral vision, Rastrelli said.
“You can have many diseases and have no symptoms. Once they have symptoms, it’s a snowball effect and drugs or surgery aren’t going to help them get their vision back to where it was,” Rastrelli said.
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As a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Rastrelli keeps abreast of issues in his profession, but has seen no concern about the neglect of eye care from his peers nationally.
He encourages Pueblo patients to resume eye exams. Joseph said Puebloans should also schedule other routine checkups for dental, full-body, and mental health exams.
Rastrelli said the Rocky Mountain Eye Center patient count only accounts for about 85% of the pre-COVID census. Staffers at all 11 eye centers in the Southern Colorado region — four of which are located in Pueblo County — continue to take steps to sterilize every room and limit patient movement so there is less contact with others in the buildings.
While masks are not required at eye centers unless patients are unvaccinated, both Rastrelli and Joseph encourage mask use for those who have concerns. Joseph said anyone with COVID symptoms can be tested at the free community testing site at Pueblo Mall, which is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except July 4.
Nine locations in Pueblo are offering free at-home testing. To find one near you, visit county.pueblo.org/public-health/covid-19-resources.
Chief reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.