A new study has just pointed to two new eye problems resulting from an infection with the Covid-19 virus.
The virus of Covid-19 causes multiple symptoms in humans: cough, headache, loss of taste and/or smell, fatigue, diarrhea… New research, the results of which have been published in the scientific journal JAMA Ophthalmologyshow for their part that new sight-related symptoms have been identifiedincluding loss of visual acuity and eye disorders.
Eye problems following infection with the Covid-19 virus
These new symptoms, little documented, were studied by the team of researchers from the University of Michigan. The latter is also the first to establish a link between Covid-19 and this type of eye condition. The cause of these problems following an infection with the Covid-19 virus would be due to a “ accident cerebrovascular (CVA) of the eye”, i.e. the formation of clots or fatty deposits in the blood vessels of the retina of the eye. In detail, this study observed the effects of an increase in two types of ocular pathologies assimilated to potentially serious and irreversible “eye strokes” following a Covid-19 infection.
A link between SARS-CoV-2 and central retinal artery occlusion (ROAC) has thus been established. This pathology is mainly characterized by blurred vision, or in more serious cases by sudden loss of vision in one eye. According to the results, this pathology would be more frequent in the 2 to 26 weeks following the infection. A 29.9% increase in incidence over this period was observed, compared to this same period before diagnosis.
Retinal vein occlusions have also been noted by the researchers. They are manifested by a sudden drop in the visual acuity of one eye or fixed black spots in the visual field. The pathology also appeared on average between 2 and 26 weeks following the illness. However, the incidence jumped by 47% over this period compared to the same period before diagnosis.
