Moderate Severity SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Affects Ocular Vergence Indices: Eye Tracking-Based Study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the brain as a primary target for both acute and chronic damage.
• While neurodegenerative changes are still under investigation, substantial data exists on damage to the brain's fiber tracts.
• Mobile eye-tracking technology offers a promising tool for assessing such damage in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate functional and structural impairments of brain fiber tracts in patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia (Delta variant).
• To identify potential gender-specific differences in eye-tracking indicators during the acute phase of COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study of 84 patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia (Delta variant) and 158 healthy controls.
• Utilized a mobile eye tracker (Eye Tracker Low-Speed 20) to assess vertical and horizontal eye vergence (VVRx and HVRx).
• Eye vergence index (VRx) was calculated as a motion correlation coefficient of angular velocities between the left and right eyeballs.

Main Results:

• Patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia exhibited significantly decreased VVRx and HVRx compared to controls (p < 0.000001).
• VVRx values were significantly higher in men (p = 0.019).
• HVRx values were significantly higher in women (p < 0.0000001).

Conclusions:

• Moderate COVID-19 pneumonia is associated with significant eye-tracking performance deterioration, suggesting functional and structural impairments in brain fiber tracts (p < 0.05).
• Observed differences in VVRx (higher in men) and HVRx (higher in women) indicate distinct gender-specific neurological responses to COVID-19.