A new study conducted by American researchers looks at a symptom as little known as it is worrying regarding Covid-19. Some patients partially lose their sight following being infected.
Fatigue, cough, fever, body aches, breathing difficulties… A little more than two years following the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in France, the main symptoms due to the virus are now known to all. But SARS-CoV-2 has obviously not yet revealed all its secrets…
In a new study published on April 14 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmologya team of American researchers from the University of Michigan (USA) seems to have managed to identify a new symptom that is surprising to say the least: an occlusion of the vessels of the eyewhich can lead to loss of sight.
Can Covid-19 make you blind?
The multiple studies carried out on the subject on the sidelines of the pandemic have taught us that Covid-19 is a systemic disease which can affect many organs through its ability to inflict vascular damage. And while numerous reports of retinal occlusion have been reported in patients with the virus, this study is the first to look at the role of SARS-CoV-2 in causing this disorder.
“Ocular symptoms, which are not considered central symptoms in Covid-19, nevertheless hold an important place and are the subject of frequent complaints”reported the High Authority for Health (HAS) in a document published in November 2021.
A significant increase in the risk of occlusion
For the purposes of their study, the researchers analyzed the data collected from just under half a million patients infected with Covid-19, and having no history of retinal occlusion. the average age of these patients was 40.9 years, and the parity was almost respected (53.6% of the subjects were women).
This work led to the conclusion of a significant increase (regarding 50%) in the risk of vein occlusion of the retina within 6 months of infection. On the other hand, the risk of retinal artery occlusion seems stable.
However, the researchers indicate that their work does not demonstrate a causal link between the infection and the formation of these occlusions. Further work will therefore need to be carried out to confirm these theories.
