Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients with Coronavirus Disease

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 spread rapidly to several countries, leading the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic situation. The correlation of this pathology with ocular structures has been discussed as a possible gateway to SARS-CoV-2. Given the urgency of information related to the control of COVID-19, this article aims to evaluate and expose the main ophthalmological manifestations resulting from viral infection by COVID-19. Methodology: This article proposes a review study regarding the current pandemic scenario. To this end, a search was carried out in the primary databases: LILACS, BIREME, PubMed in Portuguese and English, for articles based on current literature. The choice had taken place at random, obviously, following a line of reasoning of the authors involved. Discussion: A sequence of cases demonstrated the presence of SARS-CoV in the tear film by polymerase chain reaction with reverse transcription (RT-PCR). Considering that SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 are part of the same family of coronaviruses, and share genetic similarities, it is plausible that the same is observed in COVID-19. During COVID-19 infection, conjunctiva inflammation is the most frequent ophthalmologic manifestation. The most commonly reported ocular manifestations so far are conjunctival hyperemia and watery discharge. Conclusion: Although there is still no well-established evidence, recent studies suggest that tears may be direct sources of ocular transmission of COVID-19. Also, reports of ocular manifestations in patients infected with SARS-COV-2 are very scarce, making further research related to the frequency of these events necessary.