Coronavirus can enter your body through your eyes, a new study has warned.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the eyes contain a protein called ACE-2, which is used by the infection to bind to cells.
ACE-2, known as the ‘gateway’ for coronavirus, can also be found in the respiratory tract and the lungs.
However, the new findings indicate that the eyes could also be a target for the virus.
In their study, published on bioRxiv, the researchers, led by Lingli Zhou, wrote: “Ocular surface cells including conjunctiva are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, and could therefore serve as a portal of entry as well as a reservoir for person-to-person transmission of this virus.”
In the study, the team analysed 10 post-mortem eyes from people who did not die of coronavirus.
Their analysis revealed that ACE-2 was present in all 10 eyes, including in the cornea, inside the eyelids and in the white of the eye.
Based on the findings, the researchers are urging the public to be vigilant about wearing masks while out in public.
They added: “Infection of ocular surface cells could lead to the eye as being an important carrier, with ocular virus shedding constituting a significant mechanism for infection of other individuals.
“Our study therefore highlights the importance of safety practices in the general community to prevent infection and spread (hygiene, face masks) and need for extra caution among ophthalmologists.”
The study comes shortly after one nurse revealed that red eyes may be a key sign of coronavirus.
Chelsey Earnest, a nurse at the Life Care Centre in Washington, that red eyes are the ‘single most important’ sign that patients have COVID-19.
Speaking to CNN she explained: “They have, like…allergy eyes. The white part of the eye is not red. It’s more like they have red eye shadow on the outside of their eyes.”
However, if you see someone with pink eye, don’t panic.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology explained: “If you see someone with pink eye, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean that person is infected with coronavirus.
“But health officials believe viral pink eye, or conjunctivitis, develops in about 1% to 3% of people with coronavirus.
“The virus can spread by touching fluid from an infected person’s eyes, or from objects that carry the fluid.”