Tears Of COVID Positive Patients Could Be A Source Of Coronavirus Infection, Finds New Study

A recent study on the spread of COVID-19 has found that tears of COVID positive patients could be a potential source of spreading the coronavirus infection.

However, respiratory droplets remain the primary source of coronavirus infection.

The Government Medical College in Amritsar has published a study on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in tears of positive patients with and without ¡®ocular manifestation¡¯, an ophthalmological condition that directly or indirectly is caused by a disease in another part of the body and sometimes the first visible symptom, based on a sample size of 120.

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According to a report by The Times of India, of the 120 Covid positive patients, 60 had ocular manifestations and 60 did not.

Researchers found conjunctival hyperemia in 41 patients, follicular reaction in 38, chemosis in 35, mucoid discharge in 20 patients, and itching in 11. About 37 per cent of patients with ocular symptoms had moderate Covid-19 infection, the remaining 63 per cent had a severe infection.

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¡°About 17.5 per cent of patients who under evaluation for RT-PCR of tears were positive for Covid-19 out of which 11 patients (9.16 per cent) had ocular manifestations and 10 (8.33 per cent) did not have any ocular complaint, pointing out that coronavirus infected patients can shed the infection in conjunctival secretions even in the absence of ocular involvement,¡± the report said.

The study urged ophthalmologists to exercise more caution and maintain distance from the patients while examining them.