Mistakenly believing canned yellow peaches could cure COVID-19, 60-year-old woman nearly went blind

Jimu News reporter Liao Shiqi

Correspondent Liu Huan and Shu Xiang

Hearing that eating canned yellow peaches can relieve COVID-19 symptoms, 62-year-old diabetic Grandma Li rushed to buy several boxes and ate them for a week. Unexpectedly, it caused diabetic retinopathy in both eyes and almost blinded her. On December 27, talking about this experience, Grandma Li regretted it.

Granny Li, 62, loves sweets. In early December, she had a fever and cough and suspected that she had accidentally been infected with the new coronavirus. When she looked up the medication guide online, she saw many netizens recommending stocking up on canned yellow peaches to relieve symptoms, so she quickly bought a few boxes and ate them at home for a week. One morning, Granny Li suddenly felt a black screen in front of her eyes after getting up, and she could hardly see anything. Her children quickly took her to the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University for treatment.

The doctor learned that Granny Li had been suffering from diabetes for 10 years and had been taking medication. Han Mengyao, the attending physician of fundus disease, diagnosed her with diabetic retinopathy in both eyes and vitreous hemorrhage in the right eye after examination.

Director Wu Jianhua examines the patient

After completing the preoperative examination, Wu Jianhua, director of Wuhan University Aier Eye Hospital, first performed "right eye posterior approach vitrectomy" and "right eye retinal lesion laser coagulation" on Granny Li, and then "left eye retinal lesion laser coagulation". Currently, Granny Li's eye condition is stable and she is recovering well.

"Canned yellow peaches themselves have no medicinal effects. They are more like a sweet 'placebo' and cannot relieve the symptoms of the disease. Especially for diabetic patients, they should not blindly follow the trend," Wu Jianhua reminded.

Wu Jianhua emphasized that even if diabetic patients have stable blood sugar levels through treatment, they should still control their intake of sweets to avoid causing blood sugar levels to rise, which can lead to complications of diabetes. When diabetic patients experience eye discomfort, they should be alert and go to the diabetic eye disease clinic of an ophthalmology hospital as soon as possible for specialized treatment. Early intervention and regular follow-up examinations can avoid irreversible vision problems.

(Photo provided by Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University)

(Source: Jimu News)