Spectrum Of Ocular Findings And Presence Of Sars-Cov-2 In Tears In Corona Virus Disease

To observe the characteristic of Ocular finding in Covid- 19 Patients
To analyze the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in tears of patients with moderate to severe corona virus disease

All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, INDIA

It is a Prospective cross sectional study conducted in AIIMS, Nagpur (February to June 2021) one of the tertiary eye care center in central India. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease by RT PCR nasopharyngeal swab with or without ocular symptoms were included. Detail history with demographic profile, ocular symptoms, systemic symptoms and radiologic findings was noted. Ocular sample were taken within 48 hours of collection of naso-oropharyngeal sample from both eyes. Conjunctival swab were use to take the tear samples, swabs were placed in Viral Transport media (VTM) and transported to microbiology department maintaining the cold chain and real-time RT-PCR was done

A total of 40 patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty-Six (65%) patients had moderate disease, Six (15%) patients had severe disease, and rest had mild COVID-19 disease. Out of forty patients, five (12%) showed positive results for RT-PCR test in the tear sample. Six patients (15%) showed some ocular sign and symptom in which only one was tested positive for RT-PCR in tears. Ocular manifestations of COVID 19 disease were consistent with dry eye, conjunctivitis, including conjunctival hyperemia, epiphora, one patient also showed lid edema. Covid positive tears sample was seen in patients ocular symptoms as well as patients with no ocular symptoms.

There are few reports on the ocular involvement of coronavirus disease in COVID-19 patients. Our study reveled that that SARS-CoV- 2 can be detected in conjunctival swabs of confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients though the positivity rate of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival swabs is less. Although there is a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in tears, there is a possibility of it to transmit via the eyes. Covid positive tears sample was seen in patient with ocular symptoms as well as patients with no ocular symptoms. Hence possibility of ocular transmission should be considered even in the absence of ocular manifestationsand care should be exercised during the ocular examination of patients of COVID-19.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: NONE