Eyes and ears are frequently targeted by the SARS-COV-2 virus even though the most commonly recognized symptoms are loss of smell and taste but there are other effects that you need to know about. In most cases the effects get better with time and do not require an eye medications list for treatment but sometimes the infections can last much longer.

Ringing ears, hearing difficulties, photophobia and red eyes are some of the symptoms of COVID and research data suggest that hearing and vision often get impacted as a result of the disease. According to research, about ten percent of COVID patients exhibit some sort of ear or eye related symptom and both of these often persist long after the virus is gone. It is best to stay alert for the red flags and educate ourselves about the range of ways in which the virus impacts our body so early testing can be ensured. The rate at which the virus has been mutating has made it difficult to keep up with the list of associated symptoms but quite often rather than developing a cough, changes in smell and taste or fever the initial signs are vertigo, balance related issues, hearing problems or irritation in the eyes.

Watching out for early symptoms

Experts suggest that despite the ongoing research on the effects of the virus related to the ears and eyes for over the last two years there is a great deal that we do not yet understand. There are indications with regards to the nervous system according to the growing body of data that the neural effects may be more than what was initially anticipated about this infection. Dr. Li Wenliang was among the first few to raise the flag about COVID. He himself probably caught it from an asymptomatic patient who had glaucoma, says Dr. Bhupendra Patel from University of Utah. Wenliang was an ophthalmologist working in Wuhan, China, who died in early 2020 from the illness but there have been other clues besides his case that the virus can manifest in signs related to the eye. Red Eyes have been mentioned as potential symptoms of the COVID virus from the early days of the pandemic.

Why have the eye symptoms not been highlighted as often as the others?

It did not come as a surprise to the doctors given the fact that even when the SARS outbreak 2003 hit it was detected that patient’s tears also carried the disease. The health care workers in Toronto were also recorded to be at a much greater risk of getting infected who skipped eye protection. One of the few reasons why eyes have not been given due importance with regards to risk of infection or possible symptoms is circumstantial. Since most ophthalmologist clinics were closed due to the lockdowns and the virus was already causing other symptoms, like respiratory problems, this aspect was not highlighted as much. An analysis of different research studies carried out over the first one and a half years reveals that eye lining inflammation is one of the common factors. This is usually the case with 10 to 11 percent of the patients affected from COVID who also show symptoms of conjunctivitis.

Other signs related to the eyes

Other symptoms related to the eyes have also been reported like gritty sensation, blurry vision, redness, dry eyes and sensitivity to light. According to Dr. Patel, about one third of COVID patients have some sort of eye problems, varying in severity and sometimes not even being reported because they are not bothering the patients as much as other symptoms. Issues are sometimes only limited to redness or not even visible. Patients who are on ventilators also develop a condition quite often that causes the eyelids and membranes to bulge or swell, called chemosis. Research is still being done on how the virus can cause inflammation in different parts of the eye, like the tissue on the rear side of the eyeball.

Eyes can also be responsible for transmission and infection

A COVID patient can also transmit the virus through the tears they shed even after a considerable amount of time has elapsed since their recovery. One such patient was a woman, 65 years of age, who traveled to Italy from Wuhan in 2020 and upon getting admitted to the hospital was recorded to have conjunctivitis in both of her eyes. Her eye symptoms got better in the first 20 days but even on the 27th day her eye swabs contained the RNA of the virus. Similarly, researchers in Italy found the virus in a number of 52 patients out of a sample of 91, who were admitted to the hospital with COVID, discovered on the eye surface whereas some of them tested negative according to the nasal swab.

In most cases the ear and eye symptoms gradually decrease as the patients recover but research data is beginning to indicate that the two can last much longer. It has been observed in rare cases that patients also lose sensation in the cornea due to COVID and even minor trauma can result in a breakdown. These problems can cause damage to the cornea, corneal infections and even blindness. While specific eye drops or other forms of treatment may not be on the table yet we can all try to ensure prevention and hygiene to stay safe during these testing times.