According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, COVID-19 can be detected in tears sampled by ocular swabs. In the study, the researchers analyzed samples from patients diagnosed with the disease by conventional methods and admitted to the hospital.

The researchers pointed out that since SARS-CoV-2 was found in 18.2% of the samples, it is possible that this technology can replace the uncomfortable conventional swabbing procedure. The team noted that initially they set out to create a diagnostic test that relied on a simpler sample collection process without upsetting patients.

Mr. Luiz Fernando Manzoni Lourencone, the last author of the study, stated that nasal and nasopharyngeal swabbing is not only uncomfortable, but it is frequently done poorly. Therefore, tear sampling is simple to carry out and more bearable. He explained that when a patient has a high viral load, which might result in viremia in body fluids, there is a higher likelihood that the virus will be found in their tears.

In addition, of the 61 hospitalized patients in the study group, 33 of them tested positive for COVID-19 by RT-qPCR using a nasopharyngeal swab, while 28 tested negative for the virus. All 33 of the positive samples and 14 of the 28 negative samples had their tears analyzed. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1051383 )