View clinical trials related to Ocular Infection, Viral.
Filter by:Several common viruses thrive and persist in intraocular fluid due to ocular immune privilege. Immune privilege is maintained by lack of lymphatic tissue, a strong blood ocular barrier, and regulation of the systemic immune response via immunosuppressive factors such as TGF-B and processes like anterior chamber associated immune deviation. Notable viruses that benefit from ocular immune sequestration include DNA viruses such as Herpes simplex virus, Varicella Zoster, Cytomegalovirus and RNA viruses like Ebola and Rubella.In light of the global 2019 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 virus (SARS CoV-2 or commonly COVID-19) pandemic, there has been growing interest on COVID-19's long term effects on the ocular system. Ocular symptoms at the time of diagnosis and during illness have been reported previously. The most commonly reported are epiphora, chemosis, and conjunctivitis. Less common were findings of retinal hemorrhages and retinal ischemic changes. Recent literature has demonstrated its presence in ocular fluid such as tears and the aqueous humor, but whether this is sustained for an extended period of time has yet to be determined. Long term effects of covid on the neurological system are being identified - large vessel ischemic strokes, cerebral hemorrhages, cranial nerve palsies, and memory loss in young adults are being reported. The persistence of COVID 19 in the intraocular fluid several months after covid infection has not been studied previously.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly identified, highly contagious RNA virus causing respiratory infectious disease, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Conjunctivitis has been reported as a rare finding of the disease, and preliminary studies showed that the virus RNA could be detected in ocular secretions using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays when conjunctivitis present. This study aims to estimate the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 associated conjunctivitis among patients with suspected viral conjunctivitis presented to the ophthalmology clinics of Wilmer Eye Institute during the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigators also aim to identify whether SARS-CoV-2 associated conjunctivitis is an isolated finding or an early sign of COVID-19.