Covid-19: keep an eye on your sight

In addition to rain and bad weather, Autumn brought the first colds. The usual and common illnesses linked to the season changes are now considered as a wake-up call that increase fear and anxiety. Indeed, the Covid threat is always around the corner, especially inside the schools which are high-risk places, despite all the taken precautions.

In order to limit the contagion, kids need to check if they are feverish before going to school, wear the masks and always keep the distances between each other both indoors and outdoors.

Additionally, in case of flu-like symptoms, kids cannot go to school and parents must contact their doctors to see if there is the need of swabbing.

>Apart from the usual and well known Covid symptoms, there is a pathology that should not be underestimated: the conjunctivitis. According to the latest researches, the eye can be considered as one of the main input channels of the virus. As a consequence, the conjunctivitis can be the first indicator of the contagion.

The conjunctivitis caused by Covid 19 is a persistent viral conjunctivitis that affects only one eye. The infected eye usually becomes pink and, as opposed to the more common bacterial conjunctivitis, there is no trace of eye discharges that make the eyelids sticky. Additionally, the lymph node behind the ear becomes bigger. However, the described symptoms are quite similar to those provoked by a usual viral conjunctivitis, so, in order to avoid do-it-yourself diagnosis and better understand if there is the need to do more checks to diagnose the Coronavirus, it is always recommended to talk to an ophthalmologist. 

Is there a way to protect our children eyes?

Kids are now aware that there is the need to wear masks and keep the distances between each other, but their eyes keep being a potential always-open entrance door.

• Pay attention even to your eyes’ hygiene
• Do not touch your eyes if you are not sure that your hands are clean enough
• Wear contact lenses only if your hands are clean
• Wear glasses and sunglasses that can create a kind of protective “wall” from the external threats
• Shape the mask on your nose in order to avoid that your breath gets in contact with your eyes