Ocular Diseases Presenting in Post-COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-sectional Study Conducted at a Tertiary Institute in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India

Abstract

Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in December 2019, has rapidly spread across the globe. Although the prevalence of COVID-19 disease has significantly decreased, there are cases of post-COVID-19 complications affecting multiple organ systems, including the eyes. Aim: To evaluate ocular diseases presenting in post-COVID-19 patients and their association with demographic profiles, duration of post-COVID-19, and the type of treatment received. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over a four-month period (August 2021 to November 2021) in the Department of Ophthalmology at AIIMS, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study focused on post-COVID-19 patients who had been affected by COVID-19 no more than three months prior. Patients who were not post-COVID-19 and those who had contracted COVID19 during the first wave were excluded from the study. The patients’ clinical history and symptoms were documented. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and detailed anterior and posterior segment findings were recorded for all patients. The study aimed to assess post-COVID-19 ocular complications and any potential associations with hospital stays, steroid intake, or oxygen inhalation on eye diseases. Mean and median calculations were performed for continuous variables, and a Chisquare test was used to study associations. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 was employed, and a p-value <0.05 was deemed significant. Results: In the present study, males constituted 41 (62.1%) and females constituted 25 (37.9%), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.64:1. The majority of patients 23 (34.8%) were above 50 years old. Most patients 24 (36.4%) developed eye diseases one month after their COVID-19 infection. Out of 66 patients, 11 (16.7%) were diabetic, 8 (12.1%) were hypertensive, and 40 (60.6%) had no associated co-morbidities. During their COVID-19 illness, 53 (80.3%) patients underwent home isolation and received supportive treatment, while 13 (19.7%) patients were hospitalised. The most common ocular disease observed was conjunctivitis 39 (59.1% of patients) following post-COVID-19. Additionally, 4 (6%) patients developed central serous chorioretinopathy, 4 (6%) developed refractive errors, 5 (7.6%) experienced persistent headaches, and 2 (3%) developed orbital mucormycosis. Conclusion: The present study presents ophthalmic manifestations in post-COVID-19 patients. Conjunctivitis was found to be the most common ocular disease, more prevalent one month after the COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 retinopathy was the most common posterior segment complication, especially in patients above 50 years old and three months post-COVID-19.