Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, office hours and protocols have changed. The patient was a 64-year-old woman who was hospitalized for COVID-19 on Jan. 31. Despite this observation from the early outbreak of COVID-19 among nursing home residents in Kirkland, it may be that red eyes are not a common or reliable symptom of the disease. COVID-19 might cause eye problems such as enlarged, red blood vessels, swollen eyelids, excessive watering and increased discharge. It’s worth noting that those with “conjunctival congestion” represented just 0.8% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases. "It's been suspected that the eyes can be a source of both 'in' and 'out'" for the novel coronavirus, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Richter was doubtful the coronavirus directly caused the eye complication. "But we've had patients that just had red eyes as the only symptom that we saw, and go to the hospital and pass away in the hospital," Earnest said. Eye problems. Keep in mind that common pink eye is highly contagious. COVID-19 also has been reported to cause confusion in older people, especially those with severe infections. What do the numbers on your eyeglass frames mean? About a week later, though, she developed pain and vision loss in one eye, and then in her other eye a few days afterward, according to the report by Dr. Ying Yan and colleagues at the General Hospital of the Central Theater Command in Wuhan, China. Red eyes and tears could be an early symptom of a coronavirus infection, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved. Some reports suggest that red, itchy eyes could be a key sign of coronavirus infection. COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory infection, but experts have suspected the virus can also infiltrate the eyes. Richter speculated that since the patient was hospitalized and likely received various drugs, that might have been the cause. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers discovered “conjunctival congestion” in nine of 1,099 patients with COVID-19. "It's something that I witnessed in all of them (the patients)," Chelsey Earnest told CNN. Tests of those samples turned up evidence that the coronavirus had invaded the eye tissues, Yan's team reported. Viral conjunctivitis may affect both eyes. Join our community to receive newsletters and offers. With health care information changing daily amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to its effect on one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies: the eyes. Are polarized sunglasses good for night driving? As of the time of writing, there have been 87,753,382 cases worldwide with 21,481,788 cases in the US per the data from Johns Hopkins University.This virus emerged in Wuhan, China and the first doctor to recognize it was Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist, who alerted his … Can coronavirus (or a cold or the flu) cause pink eye? Some eye doctors are now diagnosing patients via virtual visits and telemedicine. At this point, Richter said, limited eye problems have been seen with COVID-19: A small number of patients develop conjunctivitis, or "pink eye," where the white part of the eye and inside of the eyelid become swollen, red and itchy. Red, puffy eyes may be a warning sign of coronavirus infection, according to a nurse who says she saw the symptom in every one of the patients she’s dealt with. Tuli said the patient's case is "interesting," but leaves open a number of questions. Some COVID-19 patients die with only red eyes as symptoms A Washington nurse warned that redness around the eyes could be a possible symptom of coronavirus disease. COVID-19 may cause pink eye, or conjunctivitis — inflammation of the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye and lining the inside of the eyelids — but only in about 1% to 3% of infected people, according to AAO. Twenty-nine people associated with the nursing home died from coronavirus complications, including 18 residents of the nursing home. It’s spread through contact with the eye secretions, which contains the virus (or bacteria) that causes conjunctivitis, the San Diego children’s hospital says. It's more like they have red eye shadow on the outside of their eyes.". That advice will reduce the chance of any virus, including cold and flu bugs, from coming into contact with the eyes, she noted. "I think people don't realize how often they touch their eyes," Tuli said. Having pink eye or irritated eyes doesn’t mean you have COVID-19. On March 23, 2020, CNN reported that a nurse at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, recalled red eyes being a clinical sign in some elderly residents who had developed COVID-19. Researchers confirm coronavirus can infect the eye - UPI.com As explained by Rady’s Children Hospital–San Diego, viruses are the most common cause of conjunctivitis. Now, scientists have more direct evidence of it. The patient in this case suffered acute angle-closure glaucoma -- a serious condition in which pressure in the eyes suddenly rises due to fluid buildup. Is it allergic? But that is a possibility -- whether through viral particles in the air or by touching her eyes with a virus-contaminated hand, he said. RED eyes may be a telltale sign of coronavirus, a nurse treating Covid-19 patients is warning. Life Care Center was the site of a coronavirus outbreak connected to “at least 37 deaths,” according to the New York Post. A few studies have drawn a link between conjunctivitis and the coronavirus. Chelsey Earnest, a nurse at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, WA, told CNN that she repeatedly noticed a symptom she likened to “allergy eyes” in COVID-19 patients. AAO says patients seeking treatment for conjunctivitis might be infected with COVID-19 if they also show these symptoms: AAO cites two recently published studies that have looked into a possible connection between conjunctivitis and COVID-19: A study published in the Journal of Medical Virology looked at 30 patients hospitalized in China for treatment of COVID-19. Its ultra-red appearance as Pence sat opposite Sen. Kamala Harris raised many watchers’ eyebrows. Poll: Many in U.S. don't see link between racism, health outcomes, COVID-19 protection measures likely limiting flu spread, Saliva-based COVID-19 tests as accurate as those using nose, throat samples, During lockdowns, women took on most of burden of childcare, Drug offers hope against disease with progressive lung scarring, This week in the National Football League. The findings are based on a patient in China who developed an acute glaucoma attack soon after recovering from COVID-19. Getty Images Red eyes might be a sign that a patient is very sick with coronavirus, according to a nurse who has been on the front lines of the … The novel coronavirus can be transmitted through the eyes because of a protein known as the “gateway” into cells inside the body, according to a … Although conjunctivitis, which is a temporary condition, has been linked to COVID-19, at this point permanent eye damage from COVID-19 has not been reported. By John Egan, reviewed by Valerie Kattouf, OD, FAAO. 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