Two recent reports published in Journal of Medical Virology and New England Journal of Medicine suggest that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can cause conjunctivitis, raising the possibility that the virus is transmitted by aerosol contact with the conjunctiva.
Conjunctivitis as a presentation or component of COVID-19 remains an uncommon event though, with the typical presentation being that of a respiratory illness with fever cough and shortness of breath, appearing anywhere from 2 – 14 days after exposure.
Though reported cases continue to rise in Europe, in the East, as well as the Americas, as of this writing there has been only one confirmed case of the disease in Nigeria. Ophthalmologists are nonetheless encouraged to protect mouth, nose and eyes when caring for patients potentially infected.
Read more here: Alert: Important coronavirus updates for ophthalmologists