Eye problems could be a warning sign of a Covid infection – symptoms to watch out for

Sore and itchy eyes could be a warning sign of a Covid-19 infection, new findings suggest.

Researchers have found that having problems with the eyes can be an indicator that someone has contracted the virus, with symptoms starting within two weeks of any other signs appearing.

While a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, and loss of taste and smell are the most common symptoms of Covid-19, a recent study found that itchy, sore eyes was one of the symptoms. ocular most important in patients with coronavirus.

The research, published in the BMJ Open Ophthalmology, also indicated sensitivity to light – known as photophobia – as another sign of viral infection.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University studied data from 83 patients with Covid-19 and found that the following symptoms were the most reported:

However, when evaluating eye symptoms, the team found that 18% had suffered from photophobia, 17% had itchy eyes, and 16% reported eye pain.

The study found that the frequency of sore eyes was significantly higher when a person had the three main symptoms of the coronavirus, rather than before.

But as many as 81% said they experienced eye symptoms within two weeks of onset of other symptoms of Covid-19.

Four in five patients said their eye problems lasted less than two weeks in total and no difference was found between men and women.

Previous studies have suggested that Covid-19 can cause eye infections, such as conjunctivitis, although the World Health Organization (WHO) lists it as one of the less common signs.

Meanwhile, Italian researchers found at the start of the pandemic that Covid-19 can stay in a person’s eyes for up to 21 days after the first symptoms appear.

Scientists from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases found that a 65-year-old woman had red, infected eyes before classic signs of the coronavirus appeared and remained in her eyes for exactly three weeks.

The researchers examined her five days after she was discharged from the hospital and found that the virus had returned to her eye fluid and persisted even after her nasal swabs were free of the virus.

This suggested to researchers that the virus was continuing to reproduce in his eye fluid, leading to warnings that conjunctivitis could be an early sign of coronavirus.

The Cambridge team, led by Professor Shahina Pardhan, Director of the Vision and Eye Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University School of Medicine, has since looked at the eye symptoms in more depth and found that sore eyes were the most important symptom, not conjunctivitis.

Professor Parhhan explained, “The most important eye symptom experienced by people with Covid-19 was eye pain.

“Other symptoms associated with other types of conjunctivitis, such as mucous discharge and gritty eyes associated with bacterial infection, have not reached their significance.

“The term ‘conjunctivitis’ is too broad and should be used with caution.”

The College of Optometrists and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists added that patients are unlikely to develop red eyes without other symptoms of coronavirus.

A spokesperson said: “Recent reports have suggested that Covid-19 could cause conjunctivitis, and viral particles are known to be found in tears, which has raised concerns among eye health professionals.

“It is recognized that any upper respiratory tract infection can lead to viral conjunctivitis as a secondary complication, and this is also the case with Covid-19.

“However, it is unlikely that a person will have viral conjunctivitis secondary to Covid-19 without other symptoms of fever or continuous cough, as conjunctivitis appears to be a late feature where it has occurred.”