Severe COVID-19 may impact retina
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Key takeaways:
- Ganglion cell layer, temporal RNFL and IPL thicknesses were significantly reduced.
- Findings support the theory that SARS-CoV-2 has systemic action and affinity for nerve cells.
Retinal ganglion cell layer thickness was significantly reduced in patients with severe COVID-19, which indicates an affinity for nerve cells, according to research published in the Open Journal of Ophthalmology.
“The involvement of the anterior segment of the eye by SARS-CoV-2 has been the subject of many studies; however, the repercussions on the posterior segment, particularly on the different layers of the retina and optic nerve, are subject of investigation,” the study authors wrote.
In an observational, prospective study, researchers evaluated the effect of the virus on retinal ganglion cell layer thickness in 78 adults, aged 24 to 73 years, in Paraíba, Brazil.
Participants were divided into three groups — 29 healthy controls who did not have COVID-19, 24 individuals who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 25 individuals who were admitted to the ICU with severe COVID-19 — and underwent ophthalmologic examination and OCT.
According to results, mean total and central macular retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses were similar between groups. However, mean temporal RNFL thickness (P < .001) and mean ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer (IPL) thicknesses were significantly reduced in the ICU group (P = .0027).
“The retinal ganglion cell layer thickness from patients with severe COVID-19 was significantly reduced,” the authors wrote. “This finding supports that the SARS-CoV-2 has systemic action and affinity for nerve cells, including those from the retina, and are related to the severity of the infection.”
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