Red Eye Is Common, but Can Be Indication of Serious Disease!
-
The proper management of red eye, a common affliction seen in emergency departments and doctor's offices, involves the separation of common, trivial symptoms from less common, but often serious symptoms. Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is detectable in about one-third of COVID-19 patients, according to a 2020 Chinese study. Eye symptoms usually appear in the first 3 days after a person is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can be the first symptoms a patient experiences, and can be mild. For asymptomatic patients and those with mild infection, the risk for transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through tears is minimal but increases significantly for patients who require intensive care. In addition, red eye has become more common during the pandemic because people's screen habits have changed and because masks can cause dry eyes by directing breath upward. Young people are more commonly affected by this, which we did not see very often previously.
-
@papiya Inflammation of the deeper structures of the eye, particularly the sclera and the iris, is rare but serious. There is often a correlation with autoimmune disorders, and eye symptoms can be the first manifestation of a systemic, potentially life-threatening, disease. About 40% of patients with scleritis have underlying rheumatologic diseases. And red eye can be an early indication of spondyloarthropathy or ankylosing spondylitis in young men with anterior uveitis (iritis or iridocyclitis). In cases of inflammation, consultation with an ophthalmologist or rheumatologist could lead to the early initiation of therapy, improving disease prognosis.