COVID-19 can infect eye cells, research claims

May 20, 2021  13:40

COVID-19 can infect not only the respiratory tract but also many other organs, including the eyes.

According to Medportal.ru, even at the beginning of the pandemic, it became known that the coronavirus can enter the eyes and persist there for a long time.

In a new study, scientists for the first time received reliable evidence that coronavirus can directly infect eye cells. They took donor cells from deceased patients and in the laboratory exposed them to SARS-CoV-2. After 24 hours, the infection was confirmed, after which the scientists performed a genetic analysis of the samples with RNA sequencing and compared them with healthy cells.

The cells on the surface of the eye, that is, those that are most in contact with the environment, turned out to be the most vulnerable to coronavirus. The most susceptible was the corneal limbus - the junction of the cornea with the sclera.

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