Conjunctivitis may be the earliest presenting feature of COVID-19, says BMJ report
Conjunctivitis may the presenting feature of COVID-19, occurring days before the onset of systemic symptoms;
Ocular Disease may be the First Manifestation of COVID-19, with patients presenting with conjunctivitis days before the onset of systemic symptoms according to a recent study published in BMJ Open Ophthalmology.
Medical experiences with the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus and SARS CoV in 2004 have established the presence of coronavirus in tears based on PCR positivity. Human to human aerosol transmission through respiratory droplets is the main established mode of infection in coronavirus. However, there may be a possibility of transmission through ocular route, though published literature regarding the same is limited. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO included wearing goggles or protective eyewear in their recommendations for prevention of transmission.
Earliest reports of ocular manifestations of COVID-19 came from Wuhan, China where a member of the national expert panel who got infected reported redness in his eyes to have appeared many days prior to the onset of respiratory symptoms. Interesting observations have come across from different studies across the globe on ocular manifestations of COVID-19.
- The ocular manifestations have been reported to be as low as 1% to as high as 30% in different studies.
- The common ocular manifestations are epiphora, conjunctival injection and chemosis, similar to other types of follicular conjunctivitis.
- The presence of ACE-2 receptor and TMPRSS2 protease on the ocular surface epithelium has been postulated to facilitate the entry of coronavirus into the body.
- Viral replication of SARS CoV-2 in conjunctival tissue culture has been reported to be higher than lung and bronchial tissue culture at 48 hours.
- PCR from tears has been found to be positive for SARS CoV-2 almost 3weeks after onset of disease even though nasopharyngeal swab was found negative.
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