Anterior Acute Uveitis Report in a SARS-CoV-2 Patient Managed with Adjunctive Topical Antiseptic Prophylaxis Preventing 2019-nCoV Spread Through the Ocular Surface Route.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical-epidemiological association between acute anterior uveitis and acute bilateral follicular conjunctivitis in a 30-year-old female patient who had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

METHODS: A 30-year-old female visited emergency ophthalmology care at the Siena Crosslinking Centre, Italy, for a bilateral eye redness lasting two weeks, associated with unilateral photophobia and blurred vision in her right eye. She visited on the 23rd of March 2020 in the full pandemic period and presented chills and fever with a temperature of 39.0°C, associated with complete loss of taste. Since eye examination findings, systemic symptoms and epidemiological criteria correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, she was referred to Siena University Hospital, Italy, for the SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal buffer and haematological examinations for uveitis.

RESULTS: Eye examination revealed bilateral conjunctival hyperaemia with acute follicular conjunctivitis associated with right eye acute anterior uveitis characterized by diffuse pigmentary and whitish immune precipitates over the anterior capsule of the crystalline lens and initial anterior lens opacity explaining the blurred vision. Adjunctive prophylactic eye topical treatment, included in the acronym SHYPIO (0.02% sodium hypochlorite solution, 0.6% povidone iodine eye-drops and 10.50% ozonized oil eye-drops), was associated with conventional uveitis therapy to prevent the virus spread through the ocular surface route.

CONCLUSION: Our report demonstrates that complicated acute anterior uveitis (iridocyclitis) with blurred vision could be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, being potentially sight-threatening for early complicated lens opacity. Ophthalmologists examining suspected or asymptomatic patients should be aware of the risk of 2019-nCoV infection.