A new study suggests that Covid-19 may cause eye damage in critically ill patients.
For the study, published in the journal Radiology, the researchers reviewed MRI of 129 patients who had severe Covid-19 in France between March 4 and May 1.
Advanced imaging tests showed that nine of the 129 (7%) patients had one or more irregularities in the back of the eyes. Irregularities may indicate possible damage or blockage of blood vessels, small eye hemorrhages, or alteration of nerve fibers.
All but one of the affected patients had damage to both eyes.
But due to the lack of a “systematic ophthalmologic examination” of patients in the ICU, the researchers were limited by the data and were unable to correlate their radiographic findings with changes in vision.
Researchers think these findings may be caused by widespread blood clotting in small vessels and disruption of an enzyme that protects the eye from damage. They also suggest that the finding could be related to an increase in eye pressure caused by positioning patients with ICU upside down (prone position) when in mechanical ventilation.
More research is needed to determine exactly what is causing eye damage in these critically ill patients and how that damage changes over time, the researchers said.
But the current study suggests that doctors should consider detecting eye problems with patients with severe Covid-19.
“Our data support the need for screening and patient follow-up to provide appropriate treatment and improve the treatment of potentially serious opioid manifestations,” the authors said.