Bilateral branch retinal vein occlusion following the diagnosis of mild coronavirus disease

ABSTRACT The aim of this case report is to present the case of a patient diagnosed as having coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who developed branch retinal vein occlusion in both eyes at different time points. A 48-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of mild COVID-19 and was diagnosed as having severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection after polymerase chain reaction testing. Two months after the diagnosis, branch retinal vein occlusion was found in his left eye on fundoscopic examination, with a visual acuity of 20/100. In the third month of therapy, the same symptoms developed in the right eye and was diagnosed as branch retinal vein occlusion. The visual acuity was 10/100 in his right eye, which increased to 40/100 in the right eye and 30/100 in the left eye after treatment. The development of branch retinal vein occlusion can be observed during the mild stage of COVID-19, which triggers viral microangiopathy and hypercoagulation. Physicians should be strictly vigilant for retinal assessment in patients with vision loss due to a mild history of COVID-19.摘要 本病例报告旨在报道1例确诊冠状病毒病（COVID-19）患者，该患者于不同时间点双眼先后发生视网膜分支静脉阻塞（branch retinal vein occlusion）。 患者为48岁男性，因新型冠状病毒感染轻症症状就诊于我院，经聚合酶链反应（polymerase chain reaction）检测后确诊为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）感染。 确诊2个月后，经眼底检查（fundoscopic examination）发现其左眼发生视网膜分支静脉阻塞，当时视力（visual acuity）为20/100。 治疗第3个月时，右眼出现相同症状，经确诊为视网膜分支静脉阻塞，当时右眼视力为10/100。经治疗后，患者右眼视力提升至40/100，左眼视力提升至30/100。 研究表明，在COVID-19轻症阶段即可出现视网膜分支静脉阻塞，该病变可诱发病毒性微血管病变与高凝状态。 临床医师需对有新型冠状病毒感染轻症病史且出现视力下降的患者，严格警惕并开展视网膜评估。