MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 215 patients who were diagnosed as having COVID-19 with
clinical findings or with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test
positivity and who were hospitalized between July 2020 and August 2020
were included in the study. The hospitalized patients were seen
individually in their rooms, and the lower eyelid conjunctiva and ocular
surface were macroscopically examined with penlight by inspection. The
eyes of the patients were examined in terms of conjunctival follicle in
the lower eyelid, congestion on the ocular surface, hyperemia or
chemosis. The patients were questioned as to whether there was burning,
foreign body sensation, itching, epiphora or blurred vision. Patients
with any symptoms were asked when they started, whether their symptoms
increased or not, and whether they had similar symptoms before the
COVID-19 infection. Patients who had previously been diagnosed as having
dry eye or allergic conjunctivitis or had symptoms and signs similar to
dry eye, and patients who used regular eye drops for any reason were
considered negative in terms of ocular findings.
Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 real-time (RT)-PCR results, lung computed
tomography (CT) imaging findings, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), white
blood cells (WBC), neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts,
neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), procalcitonin, C-reactive protein
(CRP), and ferritin values were recorded.
Ethics approval was obtained from the Medeniyet University Göztepe
Training and Research Hospital Ethics Board before the start of the
study. The study followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.