eyes on

categoriesIco Header Blog Categories

Coronavirus and the eyes: new study points to nodules in severe cases.
March 5, 2021
Jessyca Beltrami Romero

Share

Eyes are an open door.  Contaminated tears as a possible source of contagion.  Conjuntctivitis.  Retina alterations.  Glaucoma. From symptoms as conjunctivitis to possible sequelae as retinopathy and glaucoma, diverse studies and reports point to the relation of the new coronavirus and the eyes. As it is a new disease, we sill do not know for […]
remédios para disfunção erétil podem aumentar o risco de doenças oculares

Eyes are an open door.  Contaminated tears as a possible source of contagion.  Conjuntctivitis.  Retina alterations.  Glaucoma.

From symptoms as conjunctivitis to possible sequelae as retinopathy and glaucoma, diverse studies and reports point to the relation of the new coronavirus and the eyes.

As it is a new disease, we sill do not know for sure how it  reaches this organ.  Therefore, nowadays, researches serve mainly as an alert.

Now, a new study identified small nodules in the eyes of patients with severe covid-19. The work of the French Radiology Society (SFR) was published in the scientific journal Radiology.

Know more about the research, results and how data is important to better understand and encourage investigation of the possible sequelae of the new coronavirus to the eyes.

 

Study

 

From March to May 2020, researchers submitted 129 severe covid-19 patients, 43 women and 86 men, to brain MRI exams.  They aimed to detect possible anomalies in the eyes.

 

Results

 

Nine patients presented one or more small nodules in the posterior macular area:

  • From them, eight had anomalies in both eyes;
  • Eight were hospitalized in the ICU;
  • Seven remained prone for an extended time;
  • Six were obese;
  • Two had diabetes;
  • Two suffered from hypertension.

The team could not identify the reason for the nodules to appear.  However, they raised some hypotheses:

  • Virus-caused inflamation;
  • Poor blood circulation in the ocular veins in patients intubated in the ICU, such as damage and blockage;
  • Small eye hemorrhages;
  • Disruption of nerve fibers.

According to scientists, it is the first time there is documentation of this kind of sequelae through MRI.

 

Next steps

 

The volunteers remain under monitoring to observe possible changes of the ocular nodules or vision impairment. In addition, new severe patients from the second and third waves are under evaluation.

In fact, the study needs to deepen, in order to prove the formation of nodules in the eyes due to the new coronavirus. However, the study highlights it is important to capture images of the eyes in severe covid-19 cases and follow the patient post-treatment evolution.

Brain MRI, fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography figure as useful exams.

“Our study advocates triage for all patients hospitalized in ICU with severe covid-19. We believe they must receive specific eye protection treatments”, said in  a note the main author of the study, Augustin Lecles, associated professor at the University of Paris, and neuroradiologist* of the Department of Neuroradiology of the Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital in Paris.

 

Conclusion

 

In fact, there is still a long way to prove the correlation between coronavirus and the eyes.  However, studies are essential to encourage more attention to the eyes of infected patients, by means of exams and monitoring after the cure.

More than that, this research highlights that patients with pre-existing diseases, such as diabetes and hipertension, have a higher risk factor. Therefore, they also must undergo eye investigations.

 

Learn first-hand information on the main researches about the coronavirus and the eyes. Follow Phelcom’s blog.

Subscribe
Img Eyer Footer Blog

FAST, SMART AND CONNECTED

The world’s first portable retinal camera with high-quality

request a quote

Icon Button Request A QuoteRequest a Quote

Fechar

Ico Back

Later

Request a quote

Fill out the form below and we will contact you shortly.

    Ico Form Success

    Request a Quote

    Our team will contact you shortly.

    Close

    …complete suas informações

      By clicking the Complete button I allow Phelcom to contact me regarding the above request and I declare that I have read and accept the terms of Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
      Ico Back

      Depois

      Ico Form Success

      Obrigado por completar suas informações

      FECHAR

      Ico Back

      Depois

      Solicite e comece SEU TEST DRIVE

      Por favor, preencha o formulário abaixo que entraremos em contato.

        x

        Solicitar Orçamento

        Ao clicar em Solicitar, concordo com a Política de Privacidade e os Termos de Uso, permito que a Phelcom me contate e reconheço que o Eyer é um dispositivo médico (Anvisa classe II) exigindo a supervisão de um profissional com CRM para uso e interpretação das imagens.
        Ico Form Success

        Obrigado!

        Nosso time comercial logo entrará em contato para finalizar o processo.

        FECHAR

        Ico Back

        Later

        Request more information

        Please fill out the form below and we will contact you.

          x

          Request EyerMaps

          By clicking the Request button I allow Phelcom to contact me regarding the above request and I declare that I have read and accept the terms of Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
          Ico Form Success

          Thank you!

          Our commercial team will contact you shortly to finalize the process.Our commercial team will contact you shortly to finalize the process.
          CLOSE