The Latest Science on Covid-19 and the Eyes

How does the virus affect the eyes, and can you catch the virus through your eyes?

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Despite the fact that Covid-19 is a pulmonary disease, it can affect almost every part of the body. Systemic diseases work systematically, after all. With millions of cases worldwide, we are beginning to see more Covid-19 oddities, including its impact on the eyes. While evidence remains limited, what have scientists uncovered about Covid-19 eye pathology?

How Covid-19 affects the eyes

A paper on the topic of Covid-19 and the eyes was published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology in June. Researchers in Turkey examined 93 hospitalized patients with Covid-19, 20 of whom (21.5%) presented at least one of the following ocular (eye) symptoms:

• Hyperemia (red eye): 20 (21.5% of patients)
• Epiphora (excessive tear flow): 9 (9.7% of patients)
• Increased secretion (of green or yellow eye fluid): 6 (6.5% of patients)
• Chemosis (swelling of conjunctiva): 3 (3.2% of patients)
• Follicular conjunctivitis (more severe chemosis): 8 (8.6% of patients)
• Episcleritis (inflammation of eye sclera): 2 (2.2% of patients)