MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 215 patients who were diagnosed as having COVID-19 with clinical findings or with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test positivity and who were hospitalized between July 2020 and August 2020 were included in the study. The hospitalized patients were seen individually in their rooms, and the lower eyelid conjunctiva and ocular surface were macroscopically examined with penlight by inspection. The eyes of the patients were examined in terms of conjunctival follicle in the lower eyelid, congestion on the ocular surface, hyperemia or chemosis. The patients were questioned as to whether there was burning, foreign body sensation, itching, epiphora or blurred vision. Patients with any symptoms were asked when they started, whether their symptoms increased or not, and whether they had similar symptoms before the COVID-19 infection. Patients who had previously been diagnosed as having dry eye or allergic conjunctivitis or had symptoms and signs similar to dry eye, and patients who used regular eye drops for any reason were considered negative in terms of ocular findings.
Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 real-time (RT)-PCR results, lung computed tomography (CT) imaging findings, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), procalcitonin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and ferritin values ​​were recorded.
Ethics approval was obtained from the Medeniyet University Göztepe Training and Research Hospital Ethics Board before the start of the study. The study followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.