Coronavirus Has Reached The Eyes

Coronavirus has reached the eyes

Scientists have found viable SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the patient's ocular secretions. It is noteworthy that there they were detected even longer than in swabs from the nasopharynx.

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Italian scientists have discovered a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the secretions of the patient's eyes. In her eyes, the pathogen was already after the standard test for COVID-19 (nasopharyngeal swab) was negative. The clinical case is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The 65-year-old patient returned to Italy from Wuhan, which was the center of the COVID-19 outbreak. On the sixth day after arrival, she was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of a new coronavirus infection. The illness was accompanied by conjunctivitis, which ended on the 20th day of illness.

Doctors took a swab from the patient's eye on the third day of her hospital stay. The PCR test showed that it contains SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses. Scientists repeated the test every day: the virus was detected for 21 days in a row, then it was detected again once on day 27. The coronavirus has been detectable in eye swabs longer than in nasal swabs.

The scientists also found that the viruses that they isolated from the patient's eye secretions were viable, that is, the eyes can be not only the gateway to infection, but also a potential source of its spread.

"These data highlight the importance of preventive measures, including avoiding touching the nose, eyes and mouth, and washing hands frequently," the scientists write.

Earlier, Chinese scientists have already reported one case of detecting coronavirus in eye secretions. But that study did not measure its viability.