Abstract:
The recently identified novel coronavirus (CoV), the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
(SARS-CoV-2), causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While published data about other highly
infectious human COVs [that is, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)] provide helpful information about the infec
tivity of SARS-CoV-2, there is limited understanding surrounding knowledge of ocular manifestation of the
virus. This paper reviews published data which reveal the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in tears and
conjunctival scrappings of some COVID-19 patients by real-time-polymerase chain reaction assay,
although the detection rate is low compared to samples from respiratory sites. Nevertheless, the ocular
complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection are uncommon. The evidence partly supports the eye as a portal
of entry for SARS-CoV-2 to infect respiratory cells or viral shedding from respiratory cells via the
nasolacrimal duct unto the ocular surface. The possibility of ocular secretions as source for SARS-CoV-2
to spread externally has substantial public health implications
