COVID-19 Ocular Manifestation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction The world is infected with a new strain of the coronavirus family known as COVID-19. This virus strain attacked several organs in the human body, causing symptoms ranging from mild to severe and, in some cases, life-threatening. Multiple organs, including the eye, can get infected. Methods The study was a single-center prospective cross-sectional study that included patients with a recent COVID-19 infection. The study was conducted in the ophthalmology department of Erbil Teaching Hospital in Erbil City from June 2021 to April 2022. The participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic in a non-probability convenience sampling way. Results The study included 75 patients. The most common ocular disease encountered in COVID-19 patients was posterior subcapsular cataract (12, 16.0%). Their ages are between 26 and 56 years old. The cataract developed in twelve patients (12, 16.0%), and it was bilateral in nine cases (18 eyes) with a varying degree of density. The next most common manifestation was multiple punctate epitheliopathy found in nine patients, which was bilateral in all of them. Follicular conjunctivitis was encountered in eight patients; it resolved in a period of 5 to 8 days after the prescription of topical anti-inflammatory medications. Conclusion COVID-19 infection is a multi-systemic disease that can cause a variety of ocular clinical symptoms and complications. Blurred vision and conjunctivitis-like features are the most common ocular presentations of the infection.