We know that the novel coronavirus primarily attacks our lungs and sometimes it leads to life-threatening Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia in some people with severe Covid-19.
But the virus can affect multiple organs in the body as well, especially in critically ill patients.
Doctors all around the world have detected damage in the kidneys, heart, brain and other organs associated with the viral infection.
According to an article published in Frontiers in Medicine or Front Med (Lausanne), multiple-organ failure due to hyperactivity of the immune system (cytokine storm) is the main cause of death among the 5% who are critically ill in COVID-19 patients.
However, the medical professionals have found significant abnormalities in the eyes of some people with severe Covid-19 cases that are likely to go unnoticed during the treatment.
Thus, eye screening is very important for coronavirus patients who are hospitalised, to provide correct treatment and management of potentially severe ophthalmological manifestations of COVID-19, according to a suggested study published in the journal Radiology.
Eye screening should be considered for all patients with severe COVID-19, suggested researchers after they spotted severe eye abnormalities in some patients hospitalized in the ICU. They have also revealed the possible causes of the problems.
Eye Abnormalities Linked With COVID-19
Pink eye or Conjunctivitis, and retinopathy, a disease of the retina that can result in vision loss and are also seen as unusual symptoms of COVID-19.
But according to researchers these spotted eye abnormalities visible only on MRI exams. So in order to understand the nature and frequency of these unusual eye abnormalities in a better way, the French Society of Neuroradiology (SFNR) studied the MRI scans of 129 patients with severe COVID-19.
The abnormalities in the globe or eye were found in nine of these patients.
Their MRI scans showed one or more nodules in the back part, or posterior pole, of the eyeball. However, eight of them were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19.
The researchers noted that, all nine patients had nodules in the macular region, the area in the back of the eye responsible for our central vision, and eight of them had nodules in both eyes.
The eye screening using high-resolution MRI for all patients with severe COVID-19 to detect these nodules should be done by the doctors said the researchers.
It was also recommended by them that conducting additional exams like fundoscopy, which uses a magnifying lens and a light to check the back of the inside of the eye, and optical coherence tomography, a non-invasive test that provides a 3D picture of the structure of the eye.