People with severe COVID-19 may be at risk for serious eye problems, a new study suggests.
The researchers analyzed information from 129 patients in France who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRI). Of these, nine patients, or 7%, showed signs of eye disorders. Specifically, the MRIs showed abnormalities called ‘nodules’ on the back of their eyes, which may be signs of inflammation or direct damage to the eye, said dr. Augustin Lecler, an associate professor at the University of Paris, told the study.
All nine patients had nodules in the macula, which are responsible for central vision, which have the ability to see clearly in front of you. Eight of the patients had ‘bilateral’ nodules, meaning that they occurred in both eyes.
“The eye problems we have found can be potentially very serious, as they occur in the … macular region, it is the region responsible for giving us a clear vision and the ability to see fine detail, said Lecler, who is also a neuroradiologist. the Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital Foundation in Paris. “If it persists, it could potentially lead to severe vision loss or even blindness.”
The findings suggest that patients with severe COVID-19 may need to undergo screening for eye problems, the authors write in their paper, which was published in the journal on Tuesday (February 16). Radiology. They note that serious eye problems “can go largely unnoticed” among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), as doctors focus on treating life-threatening symptoms of the disease.
“It is critical to remember that eye problems can be unrecognizable in the ICU, and clinicians need to be vigilant to first determine if there is a trajectory. [eye] problem to protect the patient’s vision, “said Dr. Claudia Kirsch, Head of the Department of Neuroradiology at the Northwell Health Zucker Hofstra School of Medicine in Manhasset, New York, in a accompanying main article in radiology.
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COVID-19 previously paired eye symptoms, including conjunctivitis, or pink eye, as well as damage to the eye’s retina, known as retinopathy. The new study is one of the first to report eye disorders with COVID-19 using MRI scans.
The exact cause of these nodules is unclear, but they may be signs of damage due to clogged blood vessels or bleeding in the eye, according to CNN.
How the virus causes eye damage is also unknown. It is possible that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can directly infect the eye, as cells in the retina are known to express the ACE2 receptor, which can cause the virus to enter cells. authors said. Damage can also be due to the inflammatory response of the body to the disease.
Nor can the authors rule out the possibility that the nodules were the result of serious illness. In particular, they note that patients who spend time in the ICU in a “lying position,” which means on their stomach, or who are intubated with a breathing tube, are at risk for eye disorders due to increased pressure in the eyes. . Most of the patients in the current study with eye disorders were prone in the ICU for some time.
The study was limited because the researchers did not follow up on the patients to determine if the abnormalities were temporary or if they resulted in vision changes. (The study was’ retrospective ‘, as the doctors checked patients’ records and did not follow them up in time.)
But the researchers are currently following up on these patients, and they are studying additional patients with severe COVID-19 using MRIs as well as comprehensive eye tests. They also conducted similar studies on patients with mild cases of COVID-19, to see if these problems are specific to severe cases of the disease, Lecler said.
Originally published on Live Science.