Abstract

CUNHA, João Paulo et al. COVID-19: An Ophthalmologist’s Perspective. Gaz Med [online]. 2020, vol.7, n.2, pp.184-191.  Epub June 29, 2021. ISSN 2183-8135.  https://doi.org/10.29315/gm.v7i2.317.

In just one hundred years, the world has been through five pandemics. Lessons of the past have not prevented a new virus from being responsible for a fifth wave of deaths worldwide, even with scientific advances and the rapid response of societies that, for the most part, anticipated the political and economic response. A century after the end of the Spanish Flu (1918/19), in December 2019, the world has watched the beginning of the second pandemic of the 21st century, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a new severe acute respiratory coronavirus syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The eye can not only be the entry point for coronaviruses, but also a target organ. Conjunctivitis, uveitis, vasculitis, retinitis and optic neuritis have all been documented in animal models studies. In this article, we review the possible roles of the visual system/ocular tissues as an entryway, and the potential ophthalmic manifestations of human SARS-CoV-2 infections. This review article will also highlight the most effective ways for protecting and preventing the spread of the virus.

Keywords : COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Disease Outbreaks; Eye Diseases; Eye/virology; Ophthalmology; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2.

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