Study reveals ophthalmologic effects of COVID-19

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 9 (ACN) The ophthalmological effects of COVID-19 and the basis for its transmission through the eyes are revealed in a study by Cuban scientists, published in the Journal of Biomedical Research.

According to the research, patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, may present mild follicular conjunctivitis, the main ophthalmologic symptom of the pathogen.

As a method, researchers Carlos Eddy Lima León, Yairán Negrín Cáceres and Ledisleydy Cárdenas Monzón reviewed literature both in Spanish and English from January 1 to July 31, 2020, in several repositories and websites of ophthalmology-related entities and associations.
The study explains in the presence—or absence—of conjunctivitis, SARS-CoV-2 can exist or replicate in the membrane covering the eyeball, so protection is advisable.

Ophthalmologic societies agree in recommending the use of eye protection to prevent, contain and mitigate the spread of the virus.

Regarding the way in which the pathogen is transmitted in this case, the text refers that the human eye has its own regulatory system, which, together with a gene called TMPRSS2, participates in the process. This mechanism also influences infection through the tears, although with a low level of risk.