13-12-2020 by Mirai
Conjunctivitis is on the Covid-19 symptom list. However, it is not the most common ocular manifestation, according to a new British study. Find out which eye coronavirus symptom is most common.
Fever, cough, loss of taste and smell, fatigue. We know: these symptoms can be suggestive of Covid-19. There are also less frequent manifestations of the disease, one of which is conjunctivitis. However, a new study published in the journal BMJ Open Ophthalmology reveals that this inflammation of the eye, which is characterized by redness, itching, discomfort or even discharge, is not the most common ocular symptom of Covid-19. Generalized - Eye pain is thought to be much more common.
Eye pain, the most common eye symptom of Covid-19
To find out, researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (UK) asked people affected by Covid-19 to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms before and after testing positive.
This work showed that eye pain was much more common when the participants had Covid-19, affecting 16% of the participants. In comparison, only 5% of the volunteers said they had suffered from this condition before being affected by the coronavirus.
18% of those surveyed also said they suffered from photophobia, in other words sensitivity to light, but the researchers clarified that this was only a 5% increase compared to their pre-Covid-19 state. .
In total, 83% of the volunteers said they had eye problems related to Covid-19, a sign that these manifestations are frequent. "Eye pain is the most important ocular symptom in people with the disease", emphasizes this work.
Shahina Pardhan, a co-author of the study, believes this research helps to "better understand how Covid-19 can infect the conjunctiva and how this allows the virus to spread through the body." She also clarifies that it is important to include eye symptoms in the list of possible manifestations of Covid-19, but argues that "eye pain should replace conjunctivitis because it is important to differentiate them."
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