# Retinal and Corneal OCT Results of Patients Hospitalized and Treated in the Acute Phase of COVID-19

## TL;DR

This study found no significant changes in retinal and corneal structures in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals.

## Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the absence of ophthalmological changes in acute-phase hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

## Key findings

- No significant differences in corneal and retinal parameters were found between hospitalized COVID-19 patients and controls.
- OCT analysis showed no notable changes in retinal thickness or corneal thickness before and after treatment.
- The study did not detect ophthalmological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the acute phase.

## Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess changes in the morphology of the retina and cornea in patients treated and hospitalized during the acute active phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: A total of 24 patients with symptomatic early COVID-19 disease and 38 healthy participants from a control group were enrolled in our study. Among them, 20 received oxygen therapy at flow rates ranging from 1–10 L, while four received high-flow intranasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT). Some patients were treated with other types of therapy, such as Remdesivir, COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy, or Tocilizumab. In the study, we focused on the analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the cornea and retina including corneal thickness, central retinal thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and optic disc parameters. The measurements were acquired using Spectral-domain OCT REVO FC 130. Results: The analysis did not show significant changes between the examined ophthalmological parameters before and after therapy. Furthermore, there were no detected significant differences between the tested parameters of the retina and cornea in COVID-19-positive patients compared to the control group. Conclusions: No ophthalmological manifestations of COVID-19 disease were observed during the study. Taking into account the results of other publications, the lack of an unambiguous position on this topic requires further research.