Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its Relationship with Ocular Surface

Abstract

An outbreak in China’s Wuhan city in December 2019, characterized by unidentified pneumonia, leading to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome has begun. The cause of the outbreak has been detected as Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is a new coronavirus and due to its rapid spread in a short time, it has been announced as a pandemic in terms of public health by the World Health Organization. The virus is transmitted mainly by direct contact with the secretions of patients and inhalation of virus-containing micro-droplets. The transmission of the virus via the ocular route is a controversial issue and there are limited number of studies in the literature. Follicular conjunctivitis may be one of the ocular manifestations of the disease and even if there is no concomitant conjunctivitis, it is very important for the ophthalmologists and healthcare professionals to take preventive measures. In this review, the relationship of SARSCoV-2 with ocular surface findings was evaluated in the light of the literature.

Keywords

• ocular surface
• conjunctivitis
• tear
• covid-19