Submission Tilte

Concurrent and Post COVID-19 Neuro-Ophthalmic Manifestations: Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment for Future Preparedness

Submission Abstract:

COVID-19 typically presents with cough, fever, cough, and shortness of breath, with a wide range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic to multiorgan failure and death. The infection is not just a respiratory disorder and can result in other clinical conditions. Neuro-ophthalmic presentations of COVID-19 (such as Headache and Ocular Pain, Optic Neuritis, Optic Nerve Infarction, Papillophlebitis, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, Tonic Adie's Pupil, Horner Syndrome, Visual field defects and Central Visual Impairment, Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome, Cranial Nerve palsy, Nystagmus and abnormal ocular movement, Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis, Neuroretinitis, just to mention a few) have been described in the literature. Furthermore, COVID-19 may also impact available tools for medical diagnosis. For instance, the Ocular Surface Disease Index is traditionally used to evaluate symptoms, and can easily be performed and used to support the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome. However, COVID-19 causes a dry eye in a direct manner, and in some cases, it is critically important to distinguish between dry eye disease caused by a different disease (such as diabetes) with that caused by COVID-19 infection. For example, there is currently no validated questionnaire to quantitatively measure the effects of facemask wearing on dry eye, and consequently on lipid layer thickness. This thematic issue is aimed at discovering forms of unrecognized long-term Neuro-Ophthalmic Manifestations of COVID-19 and finding solutions for a better diagnosis and treatment for future pandemics.