Changes in eyes help Long Covid diagnosis

The existence of Long Covid in the body, can be detected through the eyes, i.e. changes in the cornea, according to the latest research, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmological findings show,  that there is a loss of nerve fibers and an increase in the immune cells of the cornea, in people with the post-COVID syndrome.

“This fact, greatly facilitates the treatment of post-COVID syndrome and the assessment of the effect of therapies,  that may affect the recovery of the nervous system,” says Riyaz A. Malik, Ph.D., with the Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar in Doha, Qatar. The condition is most commonly associated with people who during the illness, have lost their sense of smell and taste, have experienced numbness or neuropathic pain.

Post-Covid syndrome or so-called Long Covid usually gets one in ten people, who have contracted the Covid-19 virus and can manifest itself in the form of fatigue, shortness of breath, lung pain, hair loss, various neurological problems, and the like.  In most cases, it can cause a stroke or heart attack.

On the other hand, according to a study published in the journal British Journal of Ophthalmology, about 80 percent of patients who had Covid – 19 reported having an eye problem. The most common eye conditions reported were itching,  photosensitivity and inflammation. In more severe cases, patients reported symptoms of burning sensation in the eyes, redness, pain, bloating, swollen eyelids, and frequent watering.

Whether you have similar symptoms or not, if you have had Covid-19, be sure to schedule a post-Covid eye exam. We now have additional confirmation, that the condition of the whole organism can be detected through the eyes and an opportunity to exclude the risks that the pandemic carries.