Conjunctivitis

Nearly one-third of patients in a case series of 38 patients with COVID-19 in Hubei province, China, were found to have ocular abnormalities that occurred more frequently in more severe COVID-19, according to a study.

An American Academy of Ophthalmology website, “Important coronavirus updates for ophthalmologists,” has provided ophthalmologists with treatment considerations, breaking news and updated research on COVID-19 as it relates to ophthalmology since the virus began to spread.

Primary Care Optometry News reached out to doctors of optometry around the country to inquire about how they are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in their practices.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches across the country, physicians have had to modify schedules, evaluate patient needs and change the way their businesses are run.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology posted an alert regarding findings in a Journal of Medical Virology study that shows COVID-19 may be detected in tears and conjunctival secretions in novel coronavirus pneumonia patients with conjunctivitis.

Ophthalmologists who see patients with conjunctivitis should be alert to the need for further evaluation as the number of people infected with the new coronavirus, COVID-19, continue to grow.

KOLOA, Hawaii — At Hawaiian Eye 2020, Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, discusses a case in which a patient presented with chronic allergic conjunctivitis that was not responding to traditional treatments. She found that the patient was on dupilumab for eczema, and the conjunctivitis was a side effect from the drug. She recommends an aggressive treatment regimen to treat the conjunctivitis.