Ocular surface alterations in patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2

DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/AWPYC

 

Arellano-Aguilar A, Carrasco-Quiroz A, Blanco-D'Mendieta A, Portilla-Martínez A, Santana-Llamas P.Ocular surface alterations in patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2. Am J Med Surg. August 2021; 5(1). 8-13.

 

BACKGROUND. SARS-Cov-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Coronaviridae. It is the causative agent of COVID-19 disease and responsible for the current pandemic that affects more than 30 million people worldwide (1, 2). Although COVID-19 is identified as a systemic disease with mainly pulmonary and respiratory transmission, various studies present the ocular surface as a possible route of infection and a potential infectious target (6,7). To better understand this type of extrapulmonary manifestations and contribute to the development of better diagnostic approaches and therapeutic, in this study we try to describe some alterations of the ocular surface in patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 in the COVID-19 isolation area of ​​the Hospital de Especialidades Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI in Mexico City. And we found that most of the patients had conjunctival rather than corneal involvement, which corresponds to the few reported symptoms. Subconjunctival microbleeds were the predominant clinical sign, which is not reported in the international literature, and we can infer that it is related to the microvascular damage caused by the virus and / or to the anticoagulant treatment that patients with COVID-19 undergo. Likewise, no relationship was found between the days of hospital stay and the degree of damage to the ocular surface according to Oxford classification or the presence or absence of subconjunctival microbleeds. Similarly, no significant differences were found between the type of supplemental oxygen used and the degree of damage to the ocular surface by Oxford and the presence or absence of subconjunctival microbleeds.

 

KEY WORDS: SARS-COV-2, Ophtalmic changes in COVID.