New Delhi: A latest study points out that the tears of patients with and without ‘ocular manifestations’ can become a potential source of Covid-19 infection. The research from the government Medical College, Amritsar said respiratory droplets remain the primary source of transmission of the infection but the risk of transmission through other routes such as faecal-oral and conjunctival secretions cannot be ruled out.
The study analysed and compared the presence of Covid-19 in tears of positive patients with and without ‘ocular manifestation’, as per the Times Of India report.
ALSO READ: Dangers Of Taking Mobile Phones To ICU, May Pose Threat To Patients' Health
‘Ocular manifestation’ is an eye condition directly or indirectly caused by a disease in another part of the body.
In the study, the samples of tears were taken within 48 hours of admission from both the eyes of enrolled patients for evaluating the presence of Covid-19 by conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method of testing.
What were the findings?
It revealed that 17.5 per cent of patients, 21 of 120, under evaluation for RT-PCR of tears were positive for Covid-19 out of which 11 patients (9.16 per cent) had ocular manifestations and 10 (8.33 per cent) did not have any ocular complaint. It pointed out that coronavirus infected patients can transfer the infection in conjunctival secretions even in the absence of ocular involvement.
The study carried in the latest edition of the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology concluded: “SARS CoV 2 can be present in tears with or without ocular involvement, therefore, prevention is the most important aspect to be remembered by all emergency physicians and ophthalmologists to protect their patients and themselves by adopting required precautions.”