After two weeks apart in late September, Sherry Cohen was eager to see her mother, Sandy, who was in quarantine at an assisted living facility at the time.

Cohen, 51, hurried to the center in Washington, D.C., to see Sandy, 82, and was shocked. Her mother’s right eye was swollen shut. A rushed visit to a corneal specialist led them to the emergency room, where they were met by frantic hospital staff members overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.

They waited for eight hours in a hospital overflow tent to finally get antibiotic eyedrops for the corneal infection.

“Here’s this woman who desperately needs care, but everybody around you desperately needs care,” Cohen said.

Three weeks later, Sandy completely lost her vision, having already lost sight in her left eye to glaucoma, and Cohen said she believes the culprit is clear. A hospital system overwhelmed by coronavirus led to delayed care and a dire consequence.

It’s a trend that could extend into the new year as hospitals across the country battle with a new variant that is particularly dangerous among unvaccinated people.