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Abnormal quantitative pupillary light responses following COVID-19
Gulfidan Bitirgen1, Celalettin Korkmaz2, Adil Zamani2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Faculty of Medicine, 42080, Konya, Turkey. gbitirgen@yahoo.com.
International Ophthalmology
|April 5, 2022
Summary
Pupillary light reflex tests show altered pupil responses in individuals post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These changes, particularly reduced pupil contraction duration in long-COVID patients, suggest parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to persistent symptoms, known as long-COVID.
- Neurological complications following COVID-19 are increasingly recognized.
- Pupillary light reflex is a sensitive indicator of autonomic nervous system function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in pupillary light reflex responses in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
- To specifically assess if long-COVID is associated with distinct alterations in pupillary function.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study comparing 35 post-COVID-19 subjects with 30 healthy controls.
- Dynamic infrared pupillometry was utilized to measure pupillary light responses.
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) long-COVID questionnaire identified persistent symptoms.
Main Results:
- Post-COVID-19 subjects exhibited increased latency of pupil contraction and reduced duration of pupil contraction compared to controls.
- Individuals with long-COVID showed a significantly shorter duration of pupil contraction.
- Pupil contraction duration and dilation latency correlated with long-COVID symptom severity scores.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic pupillometry identified significant alterations in pupillary light responses following COVID-19.
- These findings suggest parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction in individuals after COVID-19 infection.
- Pupillary testing may serve as a valuable tool for assessing neurological sequelae of COVID-19.
