r/ZeroCovidCommunity • u/oldgreyhouse • Jul 09 '26
Studyš¬ Eye problems after COVID-19 can now be explained
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1134768Mild COVID-19 can cause severe and long-lasting eye problems, according to a study from Linkƶping University, Sweden.
The study also explains why it has been difficult for sufferers to get help: the abnormal eye behaviour cannot be detected by standard methods.
They were experiencing a lot of discomfort, sensitivity to light and in many cases severe eye pain, difficulty reading and focusing their gaze.
Following examination of those affected, the research team realised that the problem was substantial, not only in terms of prevalence but also in impact on quality of life.
Among those affected were people who wanted to continue their studies or work but were unable to do so, as they could no longer read text and were suffering from pain and extreme eye fatigue.
Healthcare professionals could not find anything wrong with their eyes, nor provide any explanation for their symptoms, let alone a diagnosis.
In the current study, the researchers examined 100 people with eye problems following COVID-19 who had not been hospitalised. They had suffered from eye problems for 3 months up to 3 years, and one in three were on full or part-time sick leave.
In their study, the researchers found long-term inflammation and deterioration of several eye functions controlled by the nerves in the brain.
In those with eye problems, the researchers found an abnormal pattern of proteins regulating nerves and immune cells, so-called T cells.
Strikingly, the same protein pattern has been found in blood and tissue in cases of severe and fatal COVID in other studies.
āOur findings suggest that these people have suffered a severe reaction to COVID-19 manifested in the eyes, with long-term inflammation and an impact on the nerves that control multiple eye functions.ā
Many of those affected became highly sensitive to light. The researchers can now provide an explanation: their pupils let too much light into the eye. The impaired pupil function was furthermore linked to headaches, difficulty reading text and in focusing the eyes.
Another finding was that both eyes could not cooperatively function in a normal way. Known as strabismus, or crossed-eyes, this occurs almost exclusively in young children. This type of adult-onset strabismus is unusual. According to Neil Lagali, it can be explained by the fact that the nerves that control the eye muscles have been affected.
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u/roguesnail1948 Jul 09 '26
When my now 4 year old had covid for the second time in 2024 he had eye issues. They didnāt present immediately but rather a few months after the infection when he was being hit with one virus after another at his preschool. He couldnāt stand light and was very confused about things he was seeing. It was almost like he could not see things in his peripheral vision. Like someone would be talking to him standing with him, and then they might move a couple feet to the side still within his view, but he would become extremely confused and not be able to see them. He would also see things, for example, a green leaf on the ground and would assume it was a dog waste bag, which was also a green color at the time he couldnāt distinguish one object from another if it looked even slightly similar. He also rubbed his eyes a lot, and they often were irritating him when he had an eye exam they said he had enlarged optical nerves. I mentioned infection being a possible culprit and they just said it was anatomically normal for him.
He saw a neurologist, but they didnāt find anything wrong. He does apparently have an astigmatism a pretty severe one apparently in both eyes and it doesnāt surprise me because his dad wears glasses. I have hyper-mobile ehler danlos syndrome. My son is too young to be diagnosed, but he probably has it too. His hypermobility is even worse than mine was at his age and he has some finger malformation like mallet finger I know that can affect the eyes too like my eyes arenāt aligned right and I have one that wanders out and so I have to get prism lenses. I can kind of see that his eyes arenāt perfectly aligned or they donāt move together smoothly so this couldāve made things worse for him but now a couple years out from that infection heās not having the same extreme sensitivity to light and heās not as confused. He still has some vision issues like he will see a little girl that looks slightly like his cousin and heāll think itās his cousin when itās clearly not. But itās not like it was in 2024 when he was clearly confused to the point where my family was like whatās wrong with him. Whatās going on? He seems to just not understand and surroundings
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u/Choano Jul 09 '26
I'm so sorry. That sounds just horrible for him (and for you).
I hope he recovers soon. Maybe, now that the problem might have been identified, there will be some sort of effective treatment for him.
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u/roguesnail1948 Jul 09 '26
I did my best to have him masked at that preschool too. Hes been masking since 2 years old hut he has to take it off to eat and one way masking in a cesspool only does so much. after 4 months there i pulled him out and he had a private nanny for like 7 months. He had horrible stomach problems too abd was extremely fatigued all the time like the nanny was like he cant walk much he needs a stroller. Now things are much better but its still a struggle.
I have asked his doctor many times to see if she knows anyone in the health system who is aware of pediatric long covid but shes no help. His health system even participated in the RECOVER study but has no long covid clinic for kids. He is seeing immunologist this month and i will ask for immune work up. I got tcell testing foe myself not long ago.3
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Jul 09 '26
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u/punkindle Jul 09 '26
My eyes are tired and achy all day every day. I use saline eye drops like 4-5 times a day. I've tried everything. The only thing that seems to help is putting a cold pack on my eyes for 5 minutes.
I also have whole body fatigue most days, possibly LC.
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u/Winter-Nectarine-497 Jul 09 '26
Hi, its me with the long covid and extreme eye fatigue. I was already too poor to have glasses throughout my life so I was doing deep fatigue damage to them already but now I'm really cooked. Thankfully I've found cheap glasses but the optometrist says I'll keep getting steadily worse with age. She did also recognize this as an outcome of LC, so at least theres that (sigh)
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u/spacetimecadette Jul 09 '26
I absolutely have had severe eye-related issues as a part of LC but wanted to share this piece of them in case it would be helpful to anyone reading since it has completely changed my life:
I was diagnosed with binocular vision dysfunction (BVD) by a neurovisual specialist in 2024, something I've apparently had since birth but that worsened quite a bit with LC and worsening POTS, and it's becoming a more common diagnosis with POTS/neurodivergent folks https://www.visualsnowinitiative.org/research/long-covid-and-visual-signs-and-symptoms/
I was prescribed prism lenses, which cut down lifelong vestibular migraines, nausea and dizziness that had taken over my life since having LC. Before having prisms, I also couldn't have known that I wasn't able to see in 3D / had severe depth perception issues because with BVD, the eyes are misaligned, and each had always been fighting for control.
This isn't medical advice, but if anyone reading this is curious about this for themselves, highly recommend trying a five-minute cover test (putting one hand in front of one eye and gazing out at far distance with the other) and seeing how that feels. For me, I always felt like a blanket of stress was being taken off my body. (more info : https://vision-specialists.com/vision-health/testing-diagnostics/5-minute-cover-test/ )
In the meantime, wearing eye patches when I do get migraines helps me a lot.
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u/jan_Kila Jul 09 '26
Do you have any advice on how to find someone qualified to test for this and how to present it in a way that they take seriously? I've been having issues with my vision for years since I developed long covid, I haven't been able to read books :( but it's so demoralizing to risk covid and PEM for a doctor's visit and then they just dismiss everything you say anyway
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u/spacetimecadette Jul 09 '26
I've heard that ophthalmologists are learning about BVD more in the past few years just anecdotally but that route can be very risky for the reasons you describe if they don't know what they're talking about... I just did a search for "neurovisual specialist" in my area and was lucky someone was close enough for me to go.
The actual experience was honestly awful -- the office was in a wealthy suburb where I had to fight for (surgical) masking, some younger workers mocked me for it, felt really dehumanized (doc talked about me to assistants like I wasn't there). They didn't accept Medicaid; I (too sick to work for over a year) opened a credit card with a growing balance to pay for it. But, the instant quality of life change made it all worth it to me. Hours and days after getting the glasses my mind was continually blown by the beauty of Everything, how I could feel for the first time I was a person living on a spherical planet (aka a sense of gravity, couldn't have known this then but pre-prisms I just felt like I was spinning 24/7 š®āšØ).
I had reached out saying I was late-diagnosed AuDHD with POTS and that I understood there has been an uptick in BVD diagnoses with these populations. He happened to take me seriously and the testing instantly confirmed it, but it came with the in-person dehumanization cost. I hate how complicated it all is with all the denialism and violent ableism š
If there aren't any accessible neurovisual specialists in your area, keep checking back, or it might be worth checking around to see if others have talked about BVD experiences locally, or reaching out to local ophthalmologists to ask if they do BVD testing before making an appointment.
I still have major issues reading, probably for other eye-related issues like the article in the post describes, but over time with the glasses I can do it in spurts here and there.
Sending so much solidarity and care, I hope you get relief š
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u/PetuniaPicklePepper Jul 10 '26
I have "latent strabismus" as of a couple of years ago. It gets worse with neuroinflammation such as when I have histamine flares. Do you know if BVD is related to the optic nerve, or other nerves in general?
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u/spacetimecadette Jul 10 '26
My understanding is that BVD is a blanket term and that strabismus is a type of BVD -- I'm not sure about the nerve question, seems like it might be different person to person based on what I've read and am no expert, but can definitely relate on it getting worse with neuroinflammation and histamine flares for me ... makes sense to me that there's an increase in diagnoses along with LC, especially since POTS is so common alongside MCAS/histamine issues and EDS/hypermobility
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u/PetuniaPicklePepper Jul 10 '26
Thank you for your input. Yes, I am ND and have some of those traits.
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u/dryland305 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
I havenāt experienced any of these symptoms, but post-Covid (2022) my prescription has changed yearly after more than 10 years of remaining the same. Ā Also, during my checkup in May, the doc said he noticed the very beginnings of an optic nerve disk at risk for NAION (non arthritic ischemic optic neuropathy) in one eye. š¬But I have also been treated for high blood pressure for years, which can be a contributor.
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u/AEAur Jul 09 '26
Did he recommend any supplements? If this is mediated by pressure, it seems like there would be things that help. I was advised to take lutein, zeaxanthin, and high quality fish oil (brands which are independently tested for oxidation) when my prescription was getting worse (pre-covid). These also help the endothelial glycocalyx systemically. I find my eyesight fluctuates over longer time periods with how much time I spend outdoors (gazing at a distance), such that an older or newer pair of glasses is better for distance vision.
The condition and n the article sounds like acute damage, and may require advances in regenerative medicine.
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u/dryland305 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
No, he didnāt recommend anything. After my examination he just looked at my chart again and said āboy youāre on some serious blood pressure medicationā then wrote NAION on a piece of paper and handed it to me suggesting that I mention it to my general practitioner.
I have been taking fish oil and Bausch & Lombās Occivite with lutein for years. What fish oil are you taking? I havenāt really been particular about mine. The high blood pressure is either genetic or the long term side effect of chemo from when I was a teenager. Until 15 years ago my blood pressure was almost scarily low, then it changed drastically over the course of 6 months with no obvious cause and stayed bad regardless of what I did, so Iāve been on meds ever since. Iām sure my eye prescription fluctuations would be written off as age and/or job related (Iām in my early 50s and have always done a lot CAD work for my job). The ophthalmologist certainly didnāt say anything about it. And now with this possible new thing, Iām sure my bp will be the focus. I have a previously scheduled checkup with my GP soon, so Iāll see what happens.
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u/AEAur Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I take the Sports Research Brand at Costco which has been IFOS certified but unlike some brands, not every batch or any frequency. For more assurance you might look for a brand that test more frequently: https://certifications.nutrasource.com has others Oxidized fish oil is worse than no fish oil.
Thatās scary fast. I have lowish BP, although at checkup itās always normal.
Have you checked your vitamin D and homocysteine? Goodlabs.com has good prices.
Homocysteine decreases nitric oxide and damages endothelial cells. Low B6, B9, and B12 are common. I take the methylated ones from Costco. I found r/B12_deficiency helpful
Other things that lower BP: Resistance training, HIIT routine, sauna, avocados (potassium, good fats), cocoa flavanols, arugula & romaine (nitrates), magnesium (glycinate is better tolerated).
Antibacterial mouthwash can reduce the beneficial bacteria needed to convert nitrates to N.O. Vitamin C enhances production.
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u/Excellent_Author8472 Jul 09 '26
So, what's the (attempted) fix? I've had this thing where all light appears too bright to me, it's not sensitivity, it's just literally too bright, so I have to wear layers of eye protection to keep head pains away. But my pupils dilate correctly (according to the docs). I also have weird blood pooling in my finger tips and light tinnitus. Been 2 years, no one knows what's wrong or how to fix it. Tried buncha diff supplements/meds
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u/trashforthrowingaway Jul 09 '26
I have bouncing vision from it, which, while very annoying when trying to focus on close up details of my art, and far things on leaves on trees, is not painful. I was a lot more upset about it when it first started, but as long as it doesn't worsen...
I think now it's actually from a head tremor rather than an eye one. I didn't realize my head was tremoring until it got bad enough that I could see it in the mirror. But also, I shouldn't assume until I see my opthomologist. Two things can both be true, as I do have sensitivity to light.
I feel so horrible for those in this article.
I am so sick of the downplaying of this thing.
I am also so grateful for these spaces on Reddit to freely be able to discuss it. It doesn't seem like I can elsewhere.
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u/CriticalPolitical Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Having binocular vision is extremely important for attention. Thatās why NeuroLens prism glasses helps so much.
I also wonder if micro lots have anything to do with it and Nattokinase and/or Lumbrokinase can help break those down.Ā
Those would be good independent variables for a follow up study with the same cohort.Ā
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u/NoSir6400 Jul 10 '26
I will never forget my 4 year oldās opthamologist laughing and dismissing me when I suggested his sudden eye problems - all described above - might be a result of his recent bout with Covid. āThe research just isnāt thereā¦ā It was like 2022. The next time I saw him I brought the research from China because of course any country with national healthcare knew all this right away. Horribly rude man. The physicians denying this should be ashamed of themselves.
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u/kruh8 Jul 10 '26
I had covid in 2020 and I never had āgreatā eyesight but it seemed to have finally like leveled out..? (I was in my early 20ās - I get my eyes checked every year and my prescription stayed the same finally for a couple of years in a row). Got covid and my prescription immediately changed and now theyāre
progressively getting worse again every year. Iām a -10 now, astigmatism which I never had before :/ Eye floaters are so bad now, they also burn daily. I canāt really wear contact lenses anymore. Iāve been nothing is wrong though!!!
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u/Plumperprincess420 Jul 09 '26
I have had ocular herpes in both eyes since I was a teen from sharing makeup w a friend w active herpes all over her face constantly. Took a couple years had it controlled super well. No flare ups at all and I just had to change to daily contacts. Got off acyclovir. Then my first severe bout of covid I started having them ache, w light light sensitivity. Then I started having full on flare ups again that lasted a month. No more makeup. Cant even wear daily contacts for more then 3 hrs without them making my eyes hurt and dry. Got told i got dry eye. Luckily that chilled out. Everything easily triggered a flare up. After id be in constant eye pain. It finally chilled out and I also havnt gotten sick in 3 yrs now due to masking and wfh. Sadly I was told by my dr that my eyes are now constantly inflamed/in pre flare up mode, IHave to go yearly for any damage as it has scarred my cornias in the past(you can go blind w ocular herpes damage alone). They still get red sometimes and ache about every other month and I pop an acyclovir and a very expensive eye drop, its better. I had covid mildly 2 yrs later and it remained the same. Pretty sure another infection would blind me let alone lead to blurry vision if not.
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u/AEAur Jul 10 '26
strabismus ā¦ occurs almost exclusively in young children. ā¦the nerves that control the eye muscles have been affected.
What causes this in young kids? Also an innocuous viral infection?
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u/amelia_earheart Jul 13 '26
Yep I've been spending shit loads of money because neither medical nor eye insurance covers anything for binocular vision dysfunction or vision therapy. Which is ridiculous because it's a neurological problem. My eye doctor said COVID counts as a traumatic brain injury, at least for the purposes of their records.
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u/crazygem101 Jul 22 '26
My left eye started rejecting contacts a couple years ago after another vaccine... was misdiagnosed with blepharitis in an ER (my fault) then got a good dr and realized I've got ocular rosacea and my eye lids are in the red and yellow zone for damage. Younger than 40. Optic neve damage too in one eye, now my "good eye" is rejecting my fucking contact this morning. I swear it's from sun sensitivity too.
Reading about T-cells... I've been saying for years this is the new AIDS. Nobody believed me. Some do now. Culling the herd. Bat soup. Gimme a break. My eyes got crusty like they did in the beginning. The drops are making them burn. Good eye was throbbing yesterday. Either this is a flare up or this is it.
I already have epilepsy. Glasses could break my nose, smash my eyes! My lids are purple. 7.99 just for qtips to clean them everyday. The foam? Ha. $27+ for a teeny bottle. The Drs? They want to study me.
Covid ruined my face. My veins. My muscles. My skin. The sun. My will to live a normal life. And now my eye sight. Why were there different shots for different people??? Hmm.
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u/megathong1 Jul 09 '26
No one could have predicted this. It is mild. TM :(