In the past few months, research has confirmed that post-coronavirus recovery complications are common and affect over ninety percent of the patients including changes in cognition and brain fog. Now, new research published in the journal Radiology highlights yet another negative health outcome of the infection on eye health.
Though it is not as prevalent as other identified effects of the virus, researchers state that people with a severe form of the infection may be more prone to developing eye abnormalities after recovering from the virus.
In their study, they looked at over one hundred patients with the coronavirus infection who had undergone testing including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
After checking the reports of the patients, it was found that around seven percent of the patients had abnormalities in their eyes. Most of such patients had severe coronavirus infection and had also been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit during their treatment.
Prior to this research, other studies had associated coronavirus infection with minor eye problems such as conjunctivitis. However, they have not found any other abnormalities which may damage the eyes.
In the MRI scans, the researchers found nodules situated at the back of the patients’ eyes. Though the reason for the development of nodules is unclear, they may be caused by inflammation.
Additionally, insufficient drainage of the veins in the eyes can also be a contributing factor especially since most of the patients had been kept in a single position while being treated in ICU.
Another factor to be noted is all patients with nodules in their eyes also had underlying medical issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
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Generally, it is known that existent health conditions can worsen the symptoms of coronavirus infection as well as increase the risk of having complications post-recovery.
Therefore, it can be said that they may have played a major role in the development of nodules in the eyes of the patients.
Although further investigation is needed on the association between nodules and coronavirus infection, the researchers state that there is a possibility of them developing in other body parts as well.
In fact, many people may have had them since the early days of the pandemic but since most patients with severe coronavirus infection are in ICUs, eye health is often neglected and the focus is mainly on keeping them alive.
In the majority of the cases, such focus is fundamental but screenings for potential side effects should be done once a patient has recovered successfully.
Till now, it is only known that the infection can potentially cause nodules. Their long-term impact is still unclear but their treatment upon diagnosis is recommended.
This is because nodules generally are known to cause problems and in some cases may even lead to vision loss.
Conjunctivitis caused by the coronavirus infection usually goes away without any treatment but with nodules, there is very little information on their impact on the health of the eyes. So, it is better to get treatment on time to avoid any complications.
