These would be similar to those of patients with diabetic neuropathy and dry eye disease
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December 16, 2021. 12:59 pm
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91 percent of patients affected by COVID-19 present ocular sequelae in the corneal nervous tissue. They are consistent with peripheral fiber neuropathy. This is shown by a study that associates Sars-Cov-2 infection and small fiber neuropathy in the cornea and which has been published in the prestigious journal The Ocular Surface.
According to it, there are indications that these sequelae can be long-lasting. The damage was maintained both at 3, 6 and 10 months after the disease had passed. In some cases, these alterations even worsened. However, viral infection causes axonopathy of the sensory fibers. This becomes chronic after the recovery of patients.
The work has been developed by a team of researchers made up of ophthalmologists and optometrists from the Fernández-Vega Ophthalmological Institute (IOFV), the Principality of Asturias Health Research Institute (ISPA) and the Neuroscience Institute. Also from the mixed center of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
Ocular sequelae of COVID-19
This research has brought together a group of patients who had overcome COVID-19. All of them examined under confocal microscopy to obtain images of the corneal nerve fibers.
“Ocular sequelae in corneas of patients with COVID-19 are similar to those found in diabetic corneas and those with dry eye disease”, Says Alberto Barros, optometrist at the Fernández-Vega Ophthalmological Institute.
“Pain and discomfort are consistent with the symptoms of these diseases and are accompanied by loss of function and altered sensitivity,” says the IOFV expert. In patients this influences discomfort, dryness, irritation and even episodes of pain. The eyes become more sensitive to external conditions, such as air conditioning, manifesting a gritty or stinging sensation.
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