Eye symptoms in COVID-19

Various studies have been conducted to find out how COVID-19 infection affects the eyes. Some of those studies are:

• The first study is published in the Journal of Medical Virology which included 30 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 in China. Their tear and conjunctival secretions were collected for testing. The results showed that one of those patients’ samples came positive for COVID-19, linking the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the eyes. 
• Another study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which included 1099 patients from 30 hospitals across China who were hospitalized due to confirmed COVID-19 infection. The doctors stated that out of those 1099 patients, 9 had conjunctival congestion. However, no tear samples were taken to confirm the presence of the virus in the tears. 
• A case study published on 31st March 2020 in JAMA Ophthalmology concluded that out of 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the Hubei Province, China, 12 had ocular issues such as chemosis and epiphora.

Common eye symptoms seen in the patients infected with COVID-19 infection include:

• Epiphora: Epiphora is an eye condition marked with severe watering of eyes
• Conjunctival congestion: Conjunctival congestion is another name for pink eye. It is an eye condition where the eye goes extremely red with excessive watery discharge. 
• Chemosis: Chemosis is a result of eye irritation. In chemosis, the outer surface of the eye (conjunctiva) looks like a big blister.

Things normal people can do to protect their eyes from COVID-19 infection:

• Stay away from people who are sick. 
• Try and maintain a distance of at least 1 metre to prevent yourself from the droplets coughed or sneezed out by an infected person, the primary cause of the disease.
• People should not touch their eyes frequently.
• Wash your hands with soap and water more often.

Things healthcare professionals should do to protect their eyes from the COVID-19 infection:

• Healthcare workers should wear protective goggles and face shield to protect themselves from the aerosols that are produced during various medical procedures such as while collecting a sample from an infected patient and while placing an endotracheal tube. 
• They should not touch their eyes without washing them with soap and water.