Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24 -- London: People with diabetes and eye disease have a five-fold increased risk of requiring intubation when hospitalised with Covid-19, revealed researchers.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, identified for the first time the risk associated with diabetic retinopathy and Covid-19.

"This is the first time that retinopathy has been linked to severe Covid-19 in people with diabetes," said study author Antonella Corcillo from the King's College London in the UK.

"Retinopathy is a marker of damage to the blood vessels and our results suggest that such pre-existing damage to blood vessels may result in a more severe Covid-19 infection requiring intensive care treatment," Corcil...