Is pinkeye is a symptom of coronavirus?
The corona pandemic started in late 2019 and now millions of people affected with it. The COVID-19 has spread worldwide. The virus causes a different kind of respiratory infections like cold, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and more. Some common symptoms are cough, fever and fatigue.
The COVID-19 virus is highly infectious and could cause mild or severe illness. As per WHO, this virus symptoms include fever, dry cough, pain, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, diarrhoea and the less common symptom is the development of pink eyes in 1 to 3 per cent of affected people.
As per online resources, about 3 per cent of corona affected people develop ophthalmological symptoms that affect the eyes.
As we know Pink eye also know as conjunctivitis. It is an inflammation of clear tissue over the whites of eyes and the inside of eyelids. It usually causes redness and swelling in the eyes. This could be caused by a viral or bacterial infection. You might be wondering how common the development of pink eyes among the corona virus affected people is?
The virus responsible for COVID-19 initially travels through droplets in the air when someone infected with it sneezes, coughs or speaks. Breathing in these droplets around makes the virus enters the body and can replicate. You can also come in contact with this virus by touching the surface that these droplets may have landed and then touch your eyes, mouth or nose. I have read guide and articles published on online platforms that coronavirus could also travel through the eyes. Well, it is important to know how coronavirus transmits through eyes.
How does the COVID-19 virus get into the eyes?
The virus that led 2003 SARS outbreak travel in the body by an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As researches suggest, that COVID-19 virus also does the same. When the virus attacks into the eyes it can lead to pink eyes or other related symptoms.
If you have pink eyes or irritation in eyes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are suffering from the corona. There so many reasons to get the eyes red or swollen such as allergy, digital eyestrain, or getting any foreign object in the eye. Symptoms related to eyes are rare in the people affected with a corona in the beginning. There is nothing that suggests symptoms of sight-threatening until now.
To lessen the risk of corona consults your doctor over the phone or video appointment rather than going to the clinic. If you are affected with the virus it can be transmitted in other at public places like clinic and hospitals.
Well, the information given this article is based on various resources available online. We are not claiming anything. These symptoms may vary from person to person. You need not panic if you have pink eye, but it is important to consult with professions to be safe and free from any risk.
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