Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival secretion and tears in patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary care centre, South India

Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study is to detect the presence of SAR-CoV-2 viral RNA in conjunctival secretions of COVID-19 patients and to compare the RT-PCR positivity rate for SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival and nasopharyngeal swabs.
Materials and method: Eighty hospitalised COVID-19 patients whose nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR were included in the study. Conjunctival swab was collected from the eyes of these patients and sent for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR method.
Results: Among the eighty patients, 51 (63.7%) were males and 29 (36.3%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 55.93 ± 16.59. Six patients had ocular manifestations. Eleven (13.75%) patients tested positive on conjunctival swab for SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, and only one of them had ocular manifestations out of the eleven.
Conclusion: In our study, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in conjunctival secretions of COVID-19 patients was detected and this was not dependent on the presenc...