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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1292821

Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China

Provisionally accepted
Shudan Wang Shudan Wang Jiaoyang Feng Jiaoyang Feng Di Jin Di Jin Rui Zhu Rui Zhu Xin Jin Xin Jin Yu Guo Yu Guo Yiheng Ding Yiheng Ding Hong Zhang Hong Zhang *
  • First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: This study aimed to report the ocular manifestations in individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and investigate any correlation between the occurrence of ocular symptoms and systemic symptoms. Methods: A retrospective electronic survey was conducted among the general public in northern China from December 2022 through February 2023. Inclusion criteria for COVID-19 was confirmed testing positive via a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or testing positive for COVID-19 via an antigen kit. The anonymous survey collected information on demographics, systemic COVID-19 symptoms, ocular diagnosis and symptoms, comorbidities and disease history. Results: A total of 2405 survey responses were collected and the final analysis included individuals in the 335 COVID-19 positive group and 434 individuals in the COVID-19negative group. Among COVID-19 positive patients 66.3% (n=222) reported experiencing ocular symptoms. Dryness (n=106, 31.6%), blurred vision (n=81, 24.2%), eye pain (n=72, 21.5%), and itching (n=71, 21.2%) were the main features.COVID-19 was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of conjunctivitis, iritis, uveitis, retinal vein occlusion and optic neuritis. The majority of individuals (51.0%) developed eye symptoms after the onset of COVID-19 systemic symptoms.There was no significant association between the severity of systemic symptoms and ocular symptoms.Conclusion: Individuals with COVID-19 were significantly more likely to experience ocular symptoms. COVID-19 was found to be associated with a higher prevalence of retinal diseases. The majority of individuals developed ocular symptoms right after the onset of systemic symptoms.

    Keywords: COVID-19, ocular symptoms, Survey study, Systemic symptoms, retinal manifestations

    Received: 14 Sep 2023; Accepted: 11 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Feng, Jin, Zhu, Jin, Guo, Ding and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hong Zhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.