Bilateral neurorethinovasculitis associated with COVID-19 infection in a girl 17 years old

Abstract

Despite dominant lung lesions, new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) can influence almost any organ, including eyes. According to modern data, frequency of eye damage by COVID-19 reaches 32%, and spectrum of clinical manifestations is diverse. Changes are observed both in the anterior (mainly conjunctivitis) and posterior (mostly retinal vascular thrombosis, optic neuritis, neuroretinitis) segments of the eye, and the timing of their occurrence varies from the first (sometimes the only) clinical symptoms of the disease to the development at the peak or during the period of convalescence from COVID-19. In children symptomatic COVID-19 infection is diagnosed less frequently than in adults, and ophthalmic manifestations are less investigated. This article describes a case of bilateral neuroretinovasculitis in a 17-year-old girl with a mild course of COVID-19, that arose 3 weeks after the onset of the disease, which broadens the understanding of ocular manifestations of COVID-19 in children. We emphasize that an ophthalmologist should know ocular manifestations of COVID-19, which can help in the diagnosis and further study of the frequency and spectrum of ophthalmic symptoms, especially in children