Ocular Manifestations in Covid-19 Positive Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Centre in Uttarakhand, India: A Prospective Study

Authors

  • Rupali Tyagi Associate Professor, Affiliation to Department of Ophthalmology, Government Doon Medical College & Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Suchit Dadia Assistant Professor, M J Western Institute of Ophthalmology,B .J. Medical college, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  • Shreyansh Sharma Junior Resident, Affiliation to Department of Ophthalmology, Government Doon Medical College & Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Kshitij Nautiyal Junior Resident, Affiliation to Department of Ophthalmology, Government Doon Medical College & Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Deekshant Chauhan Junior Resident, Affiliation to Department of Ophthalmology, Government Doon Medical College & Hospital, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Keywords:

conjunctivitis, COVID-19, ocular

Abstract

Purpose: To report the ocular manifestations in COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary care centre turned into dedicated covid hospital in state of Uttrakhand, India. Materials and Methods: This was a single center prospective study of 1950 COVID-19 positive patients ,confirmed for presence of SARS COV-2 Virus in nasopharyngeal swabs by real time PCR, who were admitted consecutively in Doon Hospital attached to Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) during a time period of 6 months from 30th March 2020 to 3rd October 2020. Ocular history and maximum permissible ophthalmic examination was done for all patients with any ophthalmic complaints. Demographic data was collected from hospital records. Results: Cohort size was of 1950 COVID-19 patients with a median age of 45 years with male preponderance (1365males, 585 females). Of 1950 patients, only 7 (0.36%) had ophthalmic manifestations with conjunctival congestion being the most common (3/7- 42.8%), 2 cases of frank conjunctivitis (28.57%), one subconjunctival hemorrhage (14.2%) and superficial punctate keratitis (SPK) in one case (14.2%). Out of total 7, only one was female(14.2%). 4 out of 7 (57.2%) patients of acute respiratory illness developed ocular symptoms post admission while conjunctival congestion was the presenting complaint in the other 3 (42.8%). The average duration of ocular symptoms was 5.5 days .All cases recovered with medications within an average period of 13.3 days. Conclusion: We conclude in our study that ocular manifestations in COVID-19 patients with Acute respiratory illness are fortunately mild and self limiting .Screening of patients with conjunctival congestion or frank conjunctivitis by ophthalmologists is advocated during the outbreak of COVID-19, as they could be the presenting ocular features. Though not always ,frequent hand– eye contact may be a risk factor. It is essential to provide proper eye care equipment and strengthen education on eye protection among eye care professionals during such outbreaks. We need more studies and data collection to authenticize our findings.

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Published

2021-04-01

How to Cite

Tyagi, R., Dadia, S., Sharma, S., Nautiyal, K., & Chauhan, D. (2021). Ocular Manifestations in Covid-19 Positive Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Centre in Uttarakhand, India: A Prospective Study. International Journal of Health and Clinical Research, 4(6), 225–228. Retrieved from https://www.ijhcr.com/index.php/ijhcr/article/view/1254