Ocular Symptoms May Signal More Severe Long COVID, suggests study

A recent study published in the journal of Clinical Ophthalmology revealed that new-onset eye symptoms in people with long COVID may indicate more severe disease. In a cross-sectional study, 57% of participants reported ocular issues such as blurred vision, dry eyes, or floaters after COVID-19 infection, which highlighted a potential link between eye symptoms and disease severity.

The cross-sectional study examined 595 adults who self-identified as having long COVID and completed surveys from May 2022 to October 2023. The participants who reported post-vaccination syndrome were excluded to isolate the effects of infection. The group had a median age of 46, with women making up nearly three-quarters of the sample.

Around 57% reported new-onset ocular symptoms attributed to long COVID. Despite having similar pre-pandemic health conditions when compared to those without eye symptoms, this group showed significantly worse outcomes across several measures.

Health-related quality of life, assessed using a standardized visual analogue scale, was notably lower among those with ocular symptoms. Their median score was 40, when compared to 51 in those without such symptoms, which indicated a substantial perceived decline in overall well-being.

Beyond physical health, the study highlighted a troubling socioeconomic dimension. The participants with ocular symptoms were more than twice as likely to report financial difficulties (20% versus 8.8%) and expressed greater worry about housing stability (16% compared to 5.4%). These findings suggest that the burden of long COVID may extend far beyond medical concerns, potentially affecting economic security and daily functioning.

The research also found higher rates of newly diagnosed conditions among those with ocular symptoms. Dysautonomia was reported by 38% of this group, when compared to 15% among those without eye symptoms. Similarly, diagnoses of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome were more than double (21% versus 9.1%).

This research used a machine learning model to better understand what distinguishes patients with ocular symptoms. Key symptoms that set this group apart included dizziness, sensitivity to cold, pressure at the base of the head, tinnitus, and tremors. These indicators may help in better identification of patients at risk for more severe long COVID presentations.

Overall, the study suggest that long COVID patients with new-onset ocular symptoms may represent a distinct and more severe subtype of the condition. This heightened severity appears unrelated to pre-existing health differences, which instead points to the impact of the virus and its aftermath.

Reference:

Kaleem, S., Sawano, M., Arun, A. S., Warner, F., Zhou, T., Huang, C., Bhattacharjee, B., Lu, Y., Iwasaki, A., Nwanyanwu, K., Ahmed, I. I. K., & Krumholz, H. M. (2026). Ocular symptoms in long COVID: A cross-sectional study. Clinical Ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.), 20, 565596. https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S565596