Resumo

CASANUEVA CABEZA, Haymy C. et al. SARS-CoV-2 and its relationship to the visual system. Rev Cubana Oftalmol [online]. 2020, vol.33, n.2, e956.  Epub 01-Jun-2020. ISSN 0864-2176.

SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus affecting humans and causing the disease COVID-19, emerged at the end of last year in China. Ever since then its spread to more than 6 million people worldwide has been a challenge for the health personnel in their struggle to prevent contagion and find the best treatment alternatives. An updated bibliographic search was conducted in various databases with the purpose of describing the ocular alterations reported in the literature which have been caused by the virus as well as the potential ocular effects of the medications used. The incidence of conjunctivitis in patients testing positive for COVID-19 is often low. Although there is evidence of transmission via ocular secretion, no consensus has been achieved about the pathogenic mechanism employed. Justification is provided for the use of ocular protection equipment, particularly by the personnel who should be close to the patients' faces while doing their work. Vertical transmission from mothers to their babies has not been demonstrated, and there is no evidence of ophthalmic disorders in the latter. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are antiviral medications which would only cause ocular toxicity at high doses and lengthy courses. It is proposed to perform complete ophthalmological examination of patients upon recovery from the disease and conduct further studies to shed light on current points of debate.

Palavras-chave : SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; pandemic; conjunctivitis; neonates; chloroquine.

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