A clinical case of central retinal artery occlusion after pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

In domestic and foreign medical periodical literature, highlighting the problem of ophthalmopathology against the background of coronavirus infection, the lesion of the anterior segment of the eye is most often described. It is extremely hard to find reports about pathology of the retina, optic nerve or central parts of the visual analyzer. However, it is widely acknowledged that there is a high risk of developing coagulopathy against the background of COVID-19 infection, which leads to occlusion and thrombosis of retinal vessels, ischemic neuropathies. The problem of irreversible loss of vision due to circulatory disorders of the retinal vessels was urgent even before the wide spread of coronavirus infection due to the high prevalence of atherosclerosis, hypertension and type 1 and 2 diabetes in the population. Also, it is widely known that occlusions and thrombosis of retinal vessels can be formidable harbingers of the developing life-threatening conditions. Knowledge about the high risk of vascular ophthalmopatology against the background of a previous COVID-19 infection by the primary echelon ophthalmologists, early diagnostics and treatment of ischemic conditions of the posterior segment of the eye will reduce the frequency of irreversible vision loss due to these diseases, secondary neovascular glaucoma cases, and will also help to send patients to the multidisciplinary hospitals in a timely manner for the prevention of fatal complications of coagulopathy. The article provides a brief overview of foreign literary sources regarding the history of outbreaks of coronavirus infection in the world, as well as possible ways of damage to the organ of vision by the coronavirus. A clinical case of damage to the vascular bed of the retina in both eyes due to coagulopathy against the background of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 is presented, which is actual due to the low illumination of similarly cases

Influenza Virus Respiratory Infection and Transmission Following Ocular Inoculation in Ferrets

While influenza viruses are a common respiratory pathogen, sporadic reports of conjunctivitis following human infection demonstrates the ability of this virus to cause disease outside of the respiratory tract. The ocular surface represents both a potential site of virus replication and a portal of entry for establishment of a respiratory infection. However, the properties which govern ocular tropism of influenza viruses, the mechanisms of virus spread from ocular to respiratory tissue, and the potential differences in respiratory disease initiated from different exposure routes are poorly understood. Here, we established a ferret model of ocular inoculation to explore the development of virus pathogenicity and transmissibility following influenza virus exposure by the ocular route. We found that multiple subtypes of human and avian influenza viruses mounted a productive virus infection in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets following ocular inoculation, and were additionally detected in ocular tissue during the acute phase of infection. H5N1 viruses maintained their ability for systemic spread and lethal infection following inoculation by the ocular route. Replication-independent deposition of virus inoculum from ocular to respiratory tissue was limited to the nares and upper trachea, unlike traditional intranasal inoculation which results in virus deposition in both upper and lower respiratory tract tissues. Despite high titers of replicating transmissible seasonal viruses in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets inoculated by the ocular route, virus transmissibility to naïve contacts by respiratory droplets was reduced following ocular inoculation. These data improve our understanding of the mechanisms of virus spread following ocular exposure and highlight differences in the establishment of respiratory disease and virus transmissibility following use of different inoculation volumes and routes