Gove suggests he has also driven to test his eyesight
Michael Gove has suggested that he has “on occasion” driven to test his eyesight, in defence of the claim made by Dominic Cummings.
Mr Cummings said on Monday he had taken a 60-mile round trip with his wife and son to check whether he would be able to drive to London.
Cabinet Office minister Mr Gove appeared on LBC yesterday and suggested he had done the same in the past, but added that he was “not an authority on driving”.
LBC presenter Nick Ferrari asked Mr Gove if he would have gone “on a 60-mile round trip to test your eyesight?”
“I have, on occasions in the past, driven with my wife in order to make sure, what’s the right way of putting it,” Mr Gove replied.
After Mr Ferrari said he was “staggered”, Mr Gove replied he was “not an authority on driving” as “someone who took seven attempts to pass their driving test, I’m not going to pass judgment”
Mr Cummings was was backed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who suggested at Monday’s Downing Street briefing that he too suffered problems with his vision after contracting coronavirus.
Mr Johnson said: “I’m finding I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years, I think because of the effects of this thing. So I’m inclined to think that’s very, very plausible, that eyesight can be a problem associated with coronavirus.”
However the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and Moorfields Eye Hospital said yesterday there is little evidence to link Covid-19 to eyesight problems,
Moorfields Eye Hospital said that there is little evidence at the moment of a link.
A statement said: “At present, there is very little evidence to suggest that Covid-19 can affect eyesight.
“Cases where Covid-19 is recorded alongside an impact on eyesight are rare, so we cannot establish a direct causal effect. We need more data to be collected on Covid19-related eye conditions to see if there is an association.”
The Royal College of
Ophthalmologists also said it was unable to report on the link “due to a lack of evidence”.
A statement said the college “is unable to report on the association of vision impairment, as a result of a patient contracting Covid-19, due to a lack of evidence.
“A direct causal effect can only be established through the reporting of proven cases of Covid-19 patients and their symptoms.”
The college said its scientific journal, Eye, has recently published a collection of research papers looking at Covid-19 patients and eye health. One of these papers points to potential problems experienced by some patients in intensive care, including corneal infection, inability to close the eyes and the eye surface becoming very dry.
The college said: “We believe that there have been a few cases reported on viral conjunctivitis and a statement was issued on this topic, in association with the College of Optometrists, in March.”
The Association of Optometrists (AOP) said any motorist concerned about their vision should contact their optometrist before driving.
It said an estimated 2,900 road casualties per year are caused by poor vision.