MYTHS AND TRUTHS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETINAL VASCULAR OCCLUSION WITH COVID-19

Purpose: To critically review data published in the recent past to scrutinize a causal relationship between retinal vascular occlusion and COVID-19. Method: A comprehensive literature search was performed on Pubmed with the key words retinal vascular occlusion, retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, and COVID-19. Results: A total of 17 case reports were published during this period, and 10 were on retinal vein occlusion and 7 on retinal artery occlusion. Most of the published reports lacked convincing evidences in one or the other aspects, such as insufficient laboratory workup or presence of multiple confounding risk factors. Conclusion: In this index article, strength of the data is insufficient to establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship of retinal vascular occlusive disorders with COVID-19. Hence, clinicians can continue to manage these cases according to the standard guidelines until there are more robust evidences to support this association to alter the diagnostic and treatment modalities.