{"id":8775,"date":"2020-11-09T09:53:18","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T09:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?p=8775"},"modified":"2021-06-09T20:06:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T20:06:10","slug":"can-covid-19-cause-conjunctivitis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/can-covid-19-cause-conjunctivitis\/","title":{"rendered":"Can COVID-19 Cause Conjunctivitis?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and respiratory problems. However, in rare cases, the virus can also cause an eye infection called conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Based on data so far, doctors believe that up to 3% of people who test positive for COVID-19 will also get conjunctivitis.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/dry-eye\/conjunctivitis-and-eye-infections\/\">Conjunctivitis<\/a> can occur when a virus infects the conjunctiva tissue, which covers the white part of your eye and inside of your eyelids.<\/p>\n<p><b>Symptoms to look out for:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pain<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Redness<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Itchy eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watery eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yellow or green discharge<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crust surrounding eyelid margins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How does COVID-19 spread to the eyes?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The coronavirus is primarily transmitted through infected droplets from a cough or sneeze. These particles most often enter the body through the nose or mouth, but can also enter through the eyes.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also possible to catch the virus by touching a countertop, doorknob, or any other contaminated surface, and then touching your face or rubbing your eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you have tested positive for COVID-19 or are trying to protect yourself from catching the virus, the following advice will help you and others to stay safe:<\/p>\n<p><b>Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth, nose, and eyes at all times.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>When to see an eye doctor<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><em>If you have conjunctivitis, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you have COVID-19.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If you are experiencing any eye pain or any of the other symptoms that may signal an eye infection, it is always recommended to seek medical care.<\/p>\n<p>If you receive regular eye injections or have a preexisting ocular condition such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/macular-degeneration-guide\/macular-degeneration\/\">macular degeneration<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/eye-conditions\/guide-to-diabetes-and-the-eyes\/diabetic-retinopathy\/\">diabetic retinopathy<\/a> and notice any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loss of vision<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flashes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blank spots in your visual field<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Headaches<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nausea with or without vomiting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><i>If you have a fever, cough, or shortness of breath and have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, call your doctor&#8217;s office to find out what you can do to treat your eye infection at this time.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and respiratory problems. However, in rare cases, the virus can also cause an eye infection<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[426],"tags":[424,410,246,425],"class_list":["post-8775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","tag-conjunctivitis","tag-covid-19","tag-infection","tag-pink-eye"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can COVID-19 Cause Conjunctivitis? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/can-covid-19-cause-conjunctivitis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can COVID-19 Cause Conjunctivitis? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and respiratory problems. 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