Retinal capillary involvement in early post-COVID-19 patients: a healthy controlled study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) can cause systemic vascular damage, affecting endothelial function and permeability.
• The eye, particularly the retina, is hypothesized as a potential target for SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) related organ damage.
• Understanding retinal vascular involvement is crucial for managing post-COVID-19 complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential retinal vascular damage in patients recovering from mild COVID-19.
• To assess macular vessel density (VD) and perfusion (VP) using OCT angiography (OCTA) and structural OCT.
• To evaluate visual acuity and other ocular parameters in post-COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A cohort observational study included 70 post-COVID-19 patients and 22 healthy controls.
• Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) and structural OCT were used to analyze macular VD and VP.
• Secondary outcomes included central macular thickness (CMT), ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, best-corrected visual acuity, and fundus imaging.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in macular VD and VP were observed between post-COVID-19 patients and controls.
• Structural OCT parameters, including CMT and GCL, showed no significant variations between the groups.
• While most patients had normal findings, some exhibited retinal cotton wool spots, vitreous degeneration, or rare hemorrhages, with similar prevalence to controls.

Conclusions:

• Retinal vascular density and perfusion in the macula and perimacular region are unaltered in mild COVID-19 patients one month post-discharge.
• The findings suggest no significant or minimal retinal vascular involvement by SARS-CoV-2 in this patient cohort.
• Further research may be needed to explore potential long-term or subtle ocular effects of COVID-19.