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Review
. 2024 May 23:18:1417-1432.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S460224. eCollection 2024.

The Review of Ophthalmic Symptoms in COVID-19

Aleksander Robert Stawowski  1 , Joanna Konopińska  2 , Sylwester Szymon Stawowski  3 , Justyna Adamczuk  4 , Monika Groth  5 , Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska  4 , Piotr Czupryna  4
Affiliations
Review

The Review of Ophthalmic Symptoms in COVID-19

Aleksander Robert Stawowski et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 had a significant impact on the health of the global human population, affecting almost every human organ, including the organ of vision. Research focus on understanding the pathophysiology, identifying symptoms and complications of the disease. Eye-related pathologies are important foci of research due to the potential for direct impact of the virus. Ophthalmologists around the world are reporting various symptoms of eye infections and ocular pathologies associated with SARS-CoV-2. The review of ophthalmic symptoms was conducted to help physicians of various specialties recognize possible ophthalmic manifestations of this viral disease. A literature review was conducted from January 2020 to July 2023 in the PubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Scielo and Google Scholar databases. The review of the literature showed that conjunctivitis is the most common ophthalmic symptom observed during the course of COVID-19 and can occur at any stage of the disease. Changes in the eye may result from the direct effect of the virus, immune response, prothrombotic states, comorbidities, and medications used. Symptoms related to the organ of vision can be divided into: changes affecting the protective apparatus of the eye, the anterior eye segment, the posterior eye segment, neuro-ophthalmic, and orbital changes. Ocular symptoms may suggest COVID-19 infection or appear several weeks after recovery. Following COVID-19 vaccinations, a diverse range of ophthalmic symptoms was observed in various locations and at different times, mirroring the ocular symptoms experienced throughout the course of the COVID-19 illness. It is important for physicians of all specialties to be aware of possible potential connections between eye diseases and SARS-CoV-2, in order to effectively diagnose and treat patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; ocular symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The frequency of occurrence of individual ophthalmological symptoms in COVID-19 patients who developed ophthalmological symptoms, based on a 2021 study of 7300 individuals, representing 11.03% of these patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes observed in the retina based on the SERPICO-19 study published in 2020.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Central retinal vein occlusion in a 26-year-old female patient with Covid-19 infection and no other risk factors (Picture from the collection of the Ophthalmology Department, Medical University of Bialystok).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Paracentral acute middle maculopathy in a 56-year-old male patient with Covid-19 infection (Picture from the collection of the Ophthalmology Department, Medical University of Bialystok).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Uveitis during COVID-19 in a 48-year-old female patient (Picture from the collection of the Ophthalmology Department, Medical University of Bialystok).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Bilateral optic neuritis associated with Covid-19 disease with no evidence of infection other than SARS-CoV-2 virus in a 45-year-old male patient. (A) right eye, (B) left eye (Picture from the collection of the Ophthalmology Department, Medical University of Bialystok).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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