Abstract
Objectives
Since there are few reports on the ocular involvement of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, this study aimed to assess the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the tears of patients with COVID-19.
Methods
In this prospective case series, nasopharyngeal and tear sampling of 43 patients with severe COVID-19 were performed. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted to detect SARS-CoV-2. Ocular and systemic signs and symptoms were recorded from their medical history.
Results
The mean age of patients was 56 ± 13 years. The average disease time from initiation of symptoms was 3.27 days, range: 1–7 days. Forty-one patients (95.3%) had fever at the time of sampling. Only one patient had conjunctivitis. Thirty (69.8%) nasopharyngeal and three (7%) tear samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The result of tear sample was positive in the patient with conjunctivitis. All patients with positive tear RT-PCR results had positive nasopharyngeal RT-PCR results.
Conclusions
Ocular manifestation was rare in this series of severe COVID-19 patients, however, 7% of the patients had viral RNA in their conjunctival secretions. Therefore, possibility of ocular transmission should be considered even in the absence of ocular manifestations.
【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, SARS-CoV-2, severe COVID-19, Transmission, Symptom, RT-PCR, Case series, nasopharyngeal, Fever, Patient, Manifestations, age, reverse transcription, Viral RNA, disease, Quantitative, patients, Conjunctival secretions, acute respiratory syndrome, average, severe COVID-19 patients, positive, ocular, objective, polymerase chain, Result, performed, detect, the patient, conducted, absence, were recorded, patients with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, detection, Patient, acute respiratory syndrome,