COVID-19 Related Eye Manifestations: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected human beings in many ways. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival cells and its secretion has been reported in the literature. In addition, there were significant reports of ocular complications that coincide with COVID-19 disease. This study aims to evaluate the COVID-19 symptoms associated with ocular manifestations. Context: Evidence Acquisition: We conducted a literature search with the keywords of “SARS-CoV-2,” “COVID-19,” “nCoV-19,” “SARS,” “MERS,” and “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2” combined with key terms of “eye,” “ocular,” “ophthalmologic,” “ophthalmic,” “conjunctivitis,” “conjunctiva,” “uveitis,” “optic,” “retina,” “retinitis,” “cornea,” “scleritis,” and “glaucoma” in LitCovid hub, PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Sciences, Cochrane, and Embase databases, as well as non-review articles. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdown has drastically changed people’s lifestyles and health. The pandemic has also affected medical performance in various fields, including ophthalmology. This study summarized some findings in several areas of ophthalmology, including: 1) The surface of the eye (conjunctivae, cornea), 2) Intraocular manifestations (uveitis, retinitis), 3) Neurological features of the eye, 4) COVID-related ocular coagulopathy (retinal vein occlusion), 5) Ophthalmological follow-up failure due to lockdown, 6) Rare manifestations, and 7) Diagnostic and protective measures. Data collection about the ophthalmological experience was done during this respiratory viral infection pandemic, and the most relevant literature was reviewed. Conclusions: Data findings showed a wide range of ocular manifestations and complications associated with COVID-19 and its pandemic. Conjunctivitis is the most common ocular manifestation of COVID-19.