People with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 noted that at an early stage of the disease, they felt not only weakness, fever and loss of smell.
One of the indicative symptoms of early COVID-19 is sore eyes. This was found by scientists from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), who published their research in the journal BMJ Open Ophthalmology on Thursday, December 10.
In particular, the researchers interviewed patients with confirmed coronavirus and compiled a list of early symptoms of the disease. Among 83 survey participants, 90% of people noted fatigue, 76% – fever, 70% – loss of smell and taste, 66% – dry cough.
At the same time, 81% of individuals indicated that at the early stage of COVID-19 they had eye problems. Of these, 18% of the respondents had photophobia or increased photosensitivity, 17% had itchy eyes, and 16% had eye pain. Most of the participants reported having had these symptoms for about two weeks.
None of the respondents noted mucous discharge or pain in the eyes, which are characteristic signs of bacterial infections.
Scientists believe that conjunctivitis should be clearly distinguished from the symptoms of coronavirus, and eye pain should be recognized as a significant symptom of the early manifestation of COVID-19. This manifestation also indicates another possible pathway for the coronavirus to enter the body and makes it possible to better track its path of spread.
Earlier, a drug was found to block the transmission of COVID. The antiviral drug MK-4482 / EIDD-2801 or Molnupiravir does not allow coronavirus to progress to a severe form of the disease.
