Source: TODAY (by A. Pawlowski) March 25, 2020 (summarized and edited by Dr. Vu)
Some reports have shown that the new coronavirus can spread through the eyes.
The virus may cause pink eye, or conjunctivitis — inflammation of the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye — in about 1-3% of infected people. Virus particles have been found in eye secretions..., but a study published Wednesday suggests the risk of virus transmission through tears is low.
The virus may cause pink eye, or conjunctivitis — inflammation of the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye — in about 1-3% of infected people. Virus particles have been found in eye secretions..., but a study published Wednesday suggests the risk of virus transmission through tears is low.
Common signs & symptoms include :
- redness of the eyes
- swelling of the eyes
- sticky discharge in one or both eyes
- the above signs in conjunction with a fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath.
Some people have been reporting red eyes and eyelids as a symptom of COVID-19.
Such redness around the eye is the only report of this phenomenon the American Academy of Ophthalmology knows of at this time...
"In terms of a red shadow around the eyes, not on the white of the eyes, there is not enough data currently to suggest this is a symptom of COVID-19..."
Such redness around the eye is the only report of this phenomenon the American Academy of Ophthalmology knows of at this time...
"In terms of a red shadow around the eyes, not on the white of the eyes, there is not enough data currently to suggest this is a symptom of COVID-19..."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not list any eye symptoms as one of the warning signs of COVID-19.
Just because a person has pink eye doesn’t mean he or she is infected with coronavirus, the American Academy of Ophthalmology emphasized.
“Lots and lots of viruses cause pink eye,” Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a board-certified ophthalmologist at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and AAO spokesman, told TODAY.
Indeed, viral conjunctivitis is most commonly caused by contagious viruses associated with the common cold, the American Optometric Association noted. An upper respiratory infection either precedes the pink eye or happens at the same time, Steinemann said.
“Lots and lots of viruses cause pink eye,” Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a board-certified ophthalmologist at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and AAO spokesman, told TODAY.
Indeed, viral conjunctivitis is most commonly caused by contagious viruses associated with the common cold, the American Optometric Association noted. An upper respiratory infection either precedes the pink eye or happens at the same time, Steinemann said.
There's no way to tell which virus caused the pink eye unless doctors swab the conjunctiva — the mucous membrane on the surface of the eye — and test the specimen, but that’s rarely done, Steinemann said.