Ophthalmological manifestations observed in one-third of COVID-19 cases at single center
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Severe COVID-19 was associated with ophthalmological manifestations in more than one-third of patients who presented to a single center with the disease, according to a study published in Retina.
Researchers conducted a cross-sectional single-center study of consecutive patients who presented to a Mexico City ICU with COVID-19 in May and June 2020. All patients underwent fundus examination with an indirect ophthalmoscope, and photographs were taken with a posterior pole camera.
The study included 117 patients with a median age of 54 years. Forty-two patients had ophthalmological manifestations, and 10 patients had more than one manifestation. Manifestations were unilateral in 23 patients and bilateral in 19 patients.
Thirteen patients had papillitis, 12 had cotton wool spots, eight had retinal nerve fiber layer edema, five had retinal hemorrhages, five had macular whitening, four had retinal vascular tortuosity, three had papillophlebitis, one had central retinal vein occlusion and one had branch retinal vein occlusion.
Factors such as demographic characteristics, inflammatory markers, hemodynamics and comorbidities were not associated with the manifestations.
“Over one-third of patients with severe COVID-19 had ophthalmological manifestations,” Rosa María Romero-Castro, MD, of the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias in Mexico City, and colleagues wrote. “The most frequent fundoscopic findings were optic nerve inflammation, microvasculature occlusion and major vascular occlusions. We recommend long-term follow-up to prevent permanent ocular sequelae.”
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