Does coronavirus affect eyesight?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his own eyesight was affected by coronavirus, after his top aide said he had gone on a drive to test his vision after recovering from Covid-19.

Senior government aide Dominic Cummings faced a huge backlash over his decision to drive his family 260 miles to his parent's home in Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.

While defending his actions, Mr Cummings said his family took a 30-minute car trip to the town of Barnard Castle to see if he could drive safely after the virus "affected his eyesight".

But could coronavirus affect your eyesight?

Eye symptoms with Covid-19 are rare but not completely unheard of, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists has said.

Like any upper respiratory tract infection, including colds and flu, it can cause irritation of the membrane covering the eye - a condition called conjunctivitis or pink eye - where parts of your eye become bloodshot.

Eye symptoms with Covid-19 are rare but not completely unheard of. Credit: PA

Conjunctivitis is an eye condition caused by infection or allergies and usually gets better in a couple of weeks without treatment, according to the NHS.

It can also make the eyes water and feel gritty and uncomfortable, rather than painful.

In a joint statement, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists said: "It is recognised that any upper respiratory tract infection may result in viral conjunctivitis as a secondary complication, and this is also the case with Covid-19."

"However, it is unlikely that a person would present with viral conjunctivitis secondary to Covid-19 without other symptoms of fever and/or continuous cough and/or loss of, or change in taste or smell (anosmia), as conjunctivitis seems to be a late feature where is has occurred."

Conjunctivitis can make the eyes water and feel gritty and uncomfortable, rather than painful. Credit: NHS Choices

The College of Optometrists added: "We are aware that some patients have reported vision issues after contracting Covid-19.

"We are currently reviewing the evidence relating to this and it will be published in our research journal OPO in June."

However, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and Moorfields Eye Hospital have said there is little evidence to link Covid-19 to eyesight problems.

Moorfields Eye Hospital said on Tuesday there was little evidence at the moment of a link and said more data was needed.

A statement said: "At present, there is very little evidence to suggest that Covid-19 can affect eyesight.

"Cases where Covid-19 is recorded alongside an impact on eyesight are rare, so we cannot establish a direct causal effect."

"We need more data to be collected on Covid-19-related eye conditions to see if there is an association," it added.

A fever and a persistent cough are symptoms of Covid-19. Credit: PA

Robert MacLaren, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, said coronavirus can affect the eyes in several ways.

"It was reported in approximately one third of patients in Wuhan (China) in a recent study."

He said: "The ocular manifestations in the Wuhan patients included conjunctivitis, conjunctival hyperemia (red eye), chemosis (eye swelling), epiphora (watery eye) and increased secretions (sticky eye)."

"Any of the above symptoms may affect vision and affected patients would be advised to drive with caution or not at all if there was significant blurring of vision or double vision."

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know