A recent study has shown that even after the nasal cavity of a patient with New Coronavirus pneumonia is cleared, the New Coronavirus remains in the patient's eyes, surviving for several days.
Researchers at the Lazzaro-Sparanzani National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INMI) in Rome, Italy, published a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine on April 17, FoxNews.com reported on April 22. According to the report, among the first patients diagnosed with neocoronavirus in Italy was a 65-year-old woman in whose eyes health care workers detected levels of neocoronavirus long after it had been cleared from her nasal cavity and was contagious.
It is reported that the woman flew from Wuhan, China, to Italy on Jan. 23.
Less than a week later, she began to show symptoms typical of Neoconiosis, such as a dry cough, sore throat, inflammation of the nasal mucosa, and red eyes, and was hospitalized the next day. After testing, the woman tested positive for New Coronavirus. A few days later, she developed fever, nausea and vomiting.
When medical staff tested her eye swabs, they found the presence of the neo-coronavirus in the woman's eyes and still found it in her eyes 27 days after she was admitted to the hospital, days after it had been cleared from her nasal cavity.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was not detected in the nasal swab, was found to be present in the eye swab a few days later, researchers at the Lazaro-Sparanzani National Institute of Infectious Diseases noted in their report. "We found that eye fluids from patients with neocrown pneumonia may carry infectious viruses, so the eyes could be a potential source of infection." The researchers wrote, "These findings re-emphasize the importance of preventive measures against the disease, such as avoiding touching the nose mouth and eyes, and frequent hand washing."
The researchers emphasize that the eyes can be both an entry point for the virus and a source of transmission. Therefore, the researchers warned ophthalmologists that extra care must be taken when conducting examinations.
"In addition, our finding that the virus may appear in the eye early in neo-coronavirus infection suggests that we must implement measures related to the prevention of ocular transmission of neo-coronavirus as early as possible." The researchers wrote.
