EVALUATION OF CLINICAL PROFILE AND PATTERN OF CONJUCTIVAL CONGESTION IN MILD COVID -19 PATIENTS IN DESIGNATED COVID-19 HOSPITALS.

Background: SARS-COV-2 is thought to be transmitted from person to person mainly through respiratory droplets or close contact. The most common symptoms of COVID -19 are fever, cough, slight dyspnoea, sore throat, headache and fatigue. Complications in severe cases include pneumonia, renal failure, etc.Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Ophthalmology GMC Jammu in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology, GMC Jammu, upon 139 mild Covid-19 positive patients, kept under isolation during the period: March 2020 to August 2020. Patients with fever, upper respiratory symptoms, or asymptomatic individuals who were confirmed positive for COVID -19 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction from nasophayngeal swabs were included in the study.Results: The mean age of patients was: 37-years. 37 patients diagnosed as Covid-19 positive showed no symptom of Covid-19.  72 (51.8%) patients were surely healthy individuals without any kind of illness or co-morbidities. While only 16 patients (11.5%) reported with conjunctivitis (congestion) or a recent history thereof. Three patients had developed conjunctival congestion without Covid-19 symptoms. 8 patients had recent history before the onset of Covid-19 symptoms. Most of the patients had manifestation within the first week of admission.Conclusions: Conjunctival congestion is significant ocular manifestation among Covid-19 patients. Covid-19 related history and symptoms should therefore include such ocular examinations as well and sufficient precaution is implemented while dealing with conjunctivitis patients showing mild symptoms of Covid-19.Key words: SARS-COV-2, COVID-19, Conjunctival Congestion, Nasophayngeal Swabs