Coronavirus conjunctivitis?
Last week I found out that some 1 to 3% of covid-19 cases start with conjunctivitis characterized by redness pain discharge and extreme
photo-sensitivity.
I took this as poorly as I had recently developed a painful conjunctivitis with tremendous photo-sensitivity.
Talked to an ophthalmologist and its probably some other virus and should clear in a week or so without treatment.
I should call back if I start showing signs of classic coronavirus, or if I develop persistent double vision.
She says usually the eye symptoms come later, so It's probably not covid.
I'm not particularly worried, but some of the internet sources on this are less than reassuring; even claiming that cases which first manifest through
the eyes are more virulent and have higher mortality rates.
Anyway, things are improving now. I've gotten to the point where I can look at a computer screen (through brazing goggles) without too much
discomfort, so I just wanted you to know that the opinion in the medical community seems to be that this isn't a big danger, so if this happens to you
try not to go into a blind panic.
BTW: the light sensitivity is a strange experience.
Not highly painful, but oddly and ineffably uncomfortable.
Like it set off alarm bells and Klaxons horns throughout my nervous system and every part of me that could was screaming at the rest of me, "DANGER
STOP THIS NOW!!!"
It was overwhelming, and overwhelmingly unpleasant, but explaining why in any meaningful way would be damned hard. Sort of like every part of your
body is suddenly a fingernail scraping on a chalkboard.
(Hey young ones, do they still have chalk boards? Or is it all white boards now? Has the strident SKREEECH of calcium carbonate on slate been forever
replaced by the flurpity-flurp of felt tip on plastic of some sort?)
One thing I do know: From now on Eye safety in the lab is going to weigh heavily on my mind.
I literally never knew what eye problems were like before this infection.
Or how damned hard it is to lie there and not look at anything for days while you're recovering.
[Edited on 2-5-2020 by SWIM]
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