Ophthalmic manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 in newborn infants: a preliminary report

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), affects people of all ages. The virus can cause multiple systemic infections, principally in the respiratory tract, as well as microvascular damage. Ocular manifestations of COVID-19 are uncommon in adults and children. We describe ophthalmic manifestations in newborns detected by slit-lamp examination, fundus examination, and fluorescein angiography. All patients showed edema and hemorrhagic conjunctivitis; fundus examinations revealed cotton wool spots and vitreous hemorrhage, and microvascular damage manifested as patchy choroidal filling, peripapillary hyperfluorescence, delayed retinal filling and venous laminar flow, and boxcarring on fluorescein angiography.