A study on the spread of COVID-19 infection has noted that tears of COVID-19 positive patients could serve as a source of spreading the infection.

The study has been published by Government Medical College, Amritsar. As per a Times of India report, among the 120 COVID-positive patients, 60 had ocular manifestations and 60 did not. Conjunctival hyperemia was present in 41 patients, follicular reaction in 38, chemosis in 35, mucoid discharge in 20 patients, and itching in 11. Nearly 37% of patients with ocular symptoms had moderate COVID-19 infection, while 63% had a severe infection. Around 17.5% of patients under assessment for RT-PCR of tears were positive for COVID-19, out of which 11 patients (9.16%) had ocular manifestations while 10 (8.33%) did not. This indicates that COVID-19 infected patients can shed the infection in conjunctival secretions even if there is no ocular involvement… (India Times, August 2, 2021)