Assessment of early and long-COVID related retinal neurodegeneration with optical coherence tomography

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate short-term and long-term effects of coronovirus 19 disease (COVID-19) at inner and outer retinal layers of patients recovered from COVID-19 with Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) and compare these to healthy subjects. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients recovered from COVID-19, and age- and gender-matched 27 healthy controls were included in this study. Macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) were analyzed with SD-OCT 1 month (V(1) visit) and 12 months (V(2) visit) after negative result of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test. RESULTS: Macular RNFL thickness in outer ring was thinner at V(1) and V(2) visits than healthy control (p = 0.049 and p = 0.005). Central and inferonasal quadrants of peripapillary RNFL thicknesses were reduced at V(1) and V(2) visits compared to controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.024 for V(1) visit; p = 0.001 and p = 0.006 for V(2) visit). Thinning in ONL thickness in inner ring was observed at V(1) and V(2) visits than healthy subjects (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Subclinical localized changes in macular and peripapillary RNFL and outer nuclear layer were demonstrated in early and 12-months follow-up after COVID-19 recovery.