Doctors know by eye if you suffer from persistent Covid

MMany people with the condition may not receive an official diagnosis because they have no evidence of a positive test for Covid-19.

However, according to a new study published in British Journal of OphthalmologyAn eye test can be a useful tool for identifying people with so-called persistent Covid.

Read also: Having these five symptoms can predict whether you will suffer from persistent Covid.

Researchers led by Gulfidan Bithirgen of Nekmettin Erbakan University in Turkey observed nerve damage in the cornea – a transparent dome over the front of the eye that protects the pupil and iris.

Corneal changes are seen in many other conditions, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia.

Corneal nerve damage can be detected using a non-invasive laser technique called confocal corneal microscopy (CCM).

The researchers used CCM to study the eyes of 40 people who had already tested for Covid and tested positive, and 30 healthy people who had not.

Survivors of the novel coronavirus were asked about their persistent symptoms to assess the severity of the condition.

The study claimed that patients who reported persistent symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus experienced higher levels of damage and loss of corneal nerve fibers.

These patients also had enlarged dendrites (DCs), a cell type of the immune system.

There was a clear association between total scores on the long-term severity of Covid, ranging from zero to 26, and corneal nerve damage.

Prof Bitirgen wrote in the article: “To our knowledge, this is the first study to report corneal nerve loss and increased CD density in patients who have recovered from Covid-19, especially those with persistent and persistent symptoms. Long lasting Covid. “.

“The findings are consistent with an innate immunological and inflammatory process characterized by migration and accumulation of Dcs in the central cornea in various immune-mediated and inflammatory conditions.”

“Confocal microscopy of the cornea may have clinical applications as a rapid, objective ophthalmic test for evaluating patients with long-term Covid,” the researcher concluded.

Read also: Taking two doses of the vaccine “reduces the risk of persistent Covid by a third.”