One of the most curious aspects of COVID-19 compared to other diseases, these are the myriad ways it can attack the body and mind. Symptoms range from neurological to physical, and while some of the damage they cause can be temporary, others experience permanent health damage as a result of an infection. Researchers are identifying new manifestations of the virus daily as they study those who are infected with it. This week, a new study has identified another way that COVID can destroy the body. Read on to find out what it is – and do not miss it to ensure your health and the health of others Sure signs that you already have a Coronavirus.
COVID can cause ‘significant abnormalities’ in the eyes
A new study published in the journal Radiology found that COVID-19 can cause eye damage in critically ill patients. Researchers from the French Society for Neuroradiology (SFNR) used MRIs of the brain to identify ‘significant abnormalities’ in the eyes.
“We have shown that some patients with severe COVID-19 from the French COVID-19 group had one or more buttons from the back pole of the world,” said lead author Augustin Lecler, MD, MD, associate professor at the University of Paris and neuroradiologist from the Department of Neuroradiology at the Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital in Paris, explained in a Press release. “This is the first time these findings have been described using MRI.”
Of the 129 patients in the group, nine (7%) had abnormal MRI findings of the globe, or eyeball, with MRI scans showing one or more buttons in the posterior part, or the anterior pole, of the eyeball. All but one struggled with a serious COVID-19 infection and spent time in the ICU. All nine patients had nodules in the macular region (the area at the back of the eye responsible for our central vision), while eight had nodules in both eyes.
Due to the fact that this type of damage can easily go unnoticed, researchers insist on the importance of ocular screening in the form of high-resolution MRI scans. “Our study advocates the selection of all patients hospitalized in the ICU for severe COVID-19,” said Dr. Lecler said. “We believe patients should receive specific eye protection treatments.”
About why the eyes suffer damage due to the virus, researchers are not sure. However, they believe it may be related to inflammation caused by the virus.
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How to stay safe with COVID
The best way to prevent any COVID-related health complications is to prevent you from becoming infected in the first place. So follow the principles of dr. Anthony Fauci and help end this boom no matter where you live; wear a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, do not go indoors with people you do not shelter with (especially in pubs), practice good hand hygiene, be vaccinated if it is available to you and around your life and the lives of others, do not visit one of this not 35 places you are likely to catch COVID.