“Eye problems are one of the most common after-effects of covid infections, and one of the most common issues of Long Covid - but they're not talked about much.
This is part two of my thread working through eye conditions that have become much more common since Covid struck
Patients with long COVID experienced a significant reduction in the density of blood vessels in the back of the eye, compared to healthy individuals.
The change in blood vessels in the deep part of the retina supports the hypothesis that long COVID affects similar blood vessels in other parts of the body, like the brain, which can potentially contribute to the symptoms of long COVID such as memory loss, brain fog and fatigue.
“connection between COVID infection and age-related blindness.
An experimental study in mice shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection can damage the retinas, with long-term implications for vision.”
“MEWDS (multiple evanescent white dot syndrome) is an ocular inflammatory syndrome that is often preceded by a viral illness such as adenovirus-related upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).. six other case reports in addition to our study have described MEWDS in confirmed COVID-19 patients.. The average age for these patients was 38.4 years (with a range of 17 to 69 years).. The average time from COVID-19 infection to initial MEWDS symptoms was 29.6 days (ranged between 0 to 70 days).. two patients (29%) presented with bilateral involvement, an unusual manifestation that has only been reported a few times in the current literature.. a 2024 systematic review describing MEWDS cases following COVID vaccination found that all included males had a bilateral presentation.. Another unusual characteristic of MEWDS cases in reported COVID patients was the rate of incomplete visual recovery (as MEWDS patients typically experience full visual recovery within the following weeks or months).. This suggests that COVID-19 MEWDS cases may be more severe when compared to other viral etiologies.."
“#LongCovid is a vascular bomb.
The arteries in my retinas are dying. My vision in my left eye is going. I have spots on my brain MRI. I’ve now been waking up with this stuff in the whites of my eyes.”
'Why aren't we taking it seriously?' 'Why aren't we fixing ventilation everywhere?' 'Why aren't antivirals easily available?'
Related:
Ocular transmissibility of COVID-19: possibilities and perspectives
One year after COVID-19 and fighting for my vision Struggling with symptoms including light sensitivity, pain and poor depth perception, Mark didn’t know what was wrong with his eyes. But his doctor of optometry did: the lingering effects of COVID-19.
Anecdotal thread: I’ve seen the eye doctor yearly since I was 7-years-old—I had no issues beyond nearsightedness. I’ve had Covid twice since 2020, & now I have Meibomian gland dysfunction & optic neuritis. A family member now has myriad eye complications. Friends have new eye diagnoses. Thread:
Comprehensive study analysis thread on Twitter: Covid Eyes: New study shows that virus has potential to cause Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): a condition that is one of the leading causes of blindness in the developed world:
Comprehensive analysis of study thread on Twitter: New Study: Covid found to infect the eyes and replicate with in them: virus found in eyes months after infection:
'our data give us reason to believe that so-called long-Covid symptoms may include degenerative retinal disease.'
Study leader says.
