Ocular manifestations may be seen in patients with COVID-19
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Ocular manifestation such as pain, redness and conjunctivitis may be seen in patients with COVID-19, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
“The SARS-CoV-2 is known to cause manifestations in organ systems. ... While the main route of transmission is via respiratory droplets, studies conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 ... did show the presence of viral RNA in tear samples,” Kanika Aggarwal, Advanced Eye Center, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, and colleagues wrote. “During the SARS-associated coronavirus outbreak of 2003, one study found that the most predictive variable for transmission of the infection from infected patients to health care workers was whether or not the health care workers used protective eye wear.”
In a meta-analysis, researchers examined 16 cross-sectional studies (n= 2,347 confirmed COVID-19 cases) to determine the occurrence of ocular surface manifestations in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Pooled data showed 11.64% of patients with COVID-19 had ocular surface manifestations. The most common manifestations included ocular pain (31.2%), discharge (19.2%), redness (10.8%) and follicular conjunctivitis (7.7%); 6.9% of patients with ocular manifestations also had severe pneumonia. Further analysis from five studies showed ocular symptoms were the first manifestation (2.26%; 95% CI, 0.03-4.49). Researchers detected viral RNA in the ocular specimens of 3.5% of patients.
“The transmissibility of the disease from ocular fluids remains uncertain, and the rates of viral RNA detection from conjunctival swabs/tear fluid using RT-PCR are low. Such a systematic analysis may aid planning agencies, ophthalmologists and intensivists in managing their patients and in developing guidelines on personal protective equipment including eye gear,” Aggarwal and colleagues concluded. “In the future, robust data collection, analysis and reporting is desirable so that there is better understanding of the risk of ocular transmission and the overall prevalence of the ocular disease in COVID-19.”
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