Epidemiologic Investigation of Eye Symptoms Related to COVID-19 among Outpatient Population

Background: Since 2019, with the spread of coronavirus and the emergence of new strains worldwide, various studies have identified the effects of this virus on multiple organs of the body. Objective: Individuals with COVID-19 experience various symptoms in their body systems. Some of these symptoms can affect the visual system and lead to blurry vision, dry eyes, foreign body sensations, tearing, etc. These symptoms can cause early eye fatigue and re-duce the quality of academic and occupational performance. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the ocular symptoms and treatments in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 at the Vali-e-asr Clinic in Hamadan City. The study was cross-sectional with the ethics code IR.UMSHA.REC.1401.913, and was conducted from April, 2021, until the required sample size was achieved. Patients were selected using an available non-probability sampling method. Results: The findings indicated that the pandemic had a significant impact on the employ-ment status of individuals, particularly full-time and part-time employees or workers, as well as university students. Additionally, in our study, significant increases in various eye symptoms, including blurred vision, fluctuating vision, the need to increase text size while reading, and eye irritation, were reported. Conclusion: Based on our study on the impact of COVID-19 on dry eye, we found a sig-nificant increase in dry eye symptoms among patients with a history of COVID-19. It is essential to raise awareness among individuals, healthcare professionals, and policymakers about the possible consequences of the pandemic on eye health and to implement appropri-ate measures to mitigate these effects.