Coco-Martín María Begoña, Leal-Vega Luis, Alcoceba-Herrero Irene, Molina-Martín Ainhoa, de-Fez Dolores, Luque María José, Dueñas-Gutiérrez Carlos, Arenillas-Lara Juan Francisco, Piñero David P
Group of Applied Clinical Neurosciences and Advanced Data Analysis, Department of Medicine, Dermatology and Toxicology, University of Valladolid, Valladolid 47005, Spain.
Group of Optics and Visual Perception, Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, University of Alicante, Alicante 03690, Spain.
Int J Ophthalmol. 2023 Jan 18;16(1):1-9. doi: 10.18240/ijo.2023.01.01. eCollection 2023.
To compare the visual perception (color and chromatic-achromatic contrast vision) of a small cohort of COVID-19 patients at the time of infection and after 6mo with that of a healthy population matched for sex and age.
A total of 25 patients (9 females, 16 males, mean age: 54±10y) with COVID-19 hospitalized in the COVID-19 Unit of the University Clinical Hospital of Valladolid were recruited for this preliminary study. Visual perception, as determined by monocular measurement of contrast sensitivity function (CSF) and color vision was assessed in each patient using the Optopad test. The results obtained were then compared with those of a sample of 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (5 females, 11 males, mean age: 50±6y) in which the same measurement procedure was repeated. Statistically significant differences between groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney test. Measurements were repeated after a minimum follow-up period of 6mo and statistically significant differences between the two time points in each group were assessed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
Discrimination thresholds (color and chromatic-achromatic contrast vision) and their corresponding sensitivity, calculated as the inverse of the discrimination threshold, were evaluated. Analysis of the data revealed higher contrast threshold results (, worse contrast sensitivity) in the COVID-19 group than in the control group for all spatial frequencies studied in the Optopad-CSF achromatic test and most of the spatial frequencies studied in the Optopad-CSF chromatic test for the red-green and blue-yellow mechanisms. In addition, color threshold results in the COVID-19 group were also significantly higher (, worse color sensitivity) for almost all color mechanisms studied in the Optopad-Color test. At 6mo, most of the differences found between the groups were maintained despite COVID-19 recovery.
The present results provide preliminary evidence that visual perception may be impaired in COVID-19, even when the infection has passed. Although further research is needed to determine the precise causes of this finding, analysis of CSF and color vision could provide valuable information on the visual impact of COVID-19.
比较一小群新冠肺炎患者在感染时及6个月后的视觉感知（颜色和彩色-消色差对比视觉）与年龄和性别匹配的健康人群的视觉感知。
本初步研究招募了25名在巴利亚多利德大学临床医院新冠肺炎病房住院的新冠肺炎患者（9名女性，16名男性，平均年龄：54±10岁）。使用Optopad测试评估每位患者的视觉感知，通过单眼测量对比敏感度函数（CSF）和色觉来确定。然后将获得的结果与16名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照样本（5名女性，11名男性，平均年龄：50±6岁）的结果进行比较，对该样本重复相同的测量程序。使用曼-惠特尼检验评估组间的统计学显著差异。在至少6个月的随访期后重复测量，并使用威尔科克森符号秩检验评估每组两个时间点之间的统计学显著差异。
评估了辨别阈值（颜色和彩色-消色差对比视觉）及其相应的敏感度，敏感度计算为辨别阈值的倒数。数据分析显示，在Optopad-CSF消色差测试中研究的所有空间频率以及Optopad-CSF彩色测试中研究的红绿和蓝黄机制的大多数空间频率方面，新冠肺炎组的对比阈值结果（即对比敏感度更差）高于对照组。此外，在Optopad-颜色测试中研究的几乎所有颜色机制方面，新冠肺炎组的颜色阈值结果也显著更高（即颜色敏感度更差）。在6个月时，尽管新冠肺炎已康复，但组间发现的大多数差异仍然存在。
目前的结果提供了初步证据，表明新冠肺炎患者即使在感染过去后视觉感知仍可能受损。尽管需要进一步研究来确定这一发现的确切原因，但对CSF和色觉的分析可为新冠肺炎的视觉影响提供有价值的信息。
