Siamak Khavandi
Elsa Tabibzadeh
Mehdi Mohamadkhani

Background: Cytopathogenic agents that infect the eye may cause dry eye disease(DED). Conjunctivitis is delineated as the main ophthalmic finding in COVID-۱۹ patients. This study aimed to assess prevalence and intensity of DED in patients after recovering from COVID-۱۹ conjunctivitis. Methods: ۶۲ patients who were experiencing conjunctivitis as a presentation of COVID-۱۹ were involved. Patients filled the OSDI questionnaire before TBUT and Schirmer ۱ tests. Cases enrolled in this research were examined twice; month one and month nine after initial symptoms. Results: In the first month, ۳۳ patients (۵۳.۲%) had dry eye symptoms (۲۶ non-severe cases with ۷ severe ones). In the ninth month, ۲۰ cases (۳۲.۲%) had dry eye symptoms (۱۴ non-severe cases with ۶ severe ones). Of these ۲۰ cases experiencing symptoms of dry eye, ۱۹ patients were categorized as DED since the first month. In terms of gender, the study showed a substantial difference in the ninth month (p<۰.۰۵) in the severe DED group where the majority of patients (۸۳.۳ %) were female. Conclusion: DED prevalence decreased in the ninth month. However, it is notable that dry eye condition disappeared in neither of the severe cases. Therefore, if the patient exhibits severe dry eye symptoms at the early stages, these symptoms will most probably linger. Furthermore, if the patient has no complaints of dry eye at the first month, he/she is more likely not to suffer from DED later. Our findings also suggest that in long-term females are at greater risk of severe post-COVID DED.

Dry eye disease; COVID-۱۹; Conjunctivitis; Ocular surface; Schirmer test; Tear break up time