A man discovered a pus-filled 'pseudomembrane' in his eye after getting a COVID-induced pink eye infection
- Viral infections, including COVID, can cause pink eye.
- Experts are worried that the new "Arcturus" variant may be causing more of the eye irritation.
If you're experiencing red, irritated eyes this spring, it may not be seasonal allergies — it could be a sign you have COVID.
Doctors and patients alike are experiencing more cases of viral pink eye during COVID infections, as new variants including one called "Arcturus," or XBB.1.16, spread across the US.
"Observational data suggests that people infected with XBB.1.16 may be more likely to experience conjunctivitis as a symptom of their COVID infection," the Los Angeles health department said in a release. "Be aware that itchy, watery or red eyes may be a sign of a COVID-19 infection."
On Tiktok, one man said the eye irritation he had after a week of severe cold symptoms got so bad that "my eye was pretty much swollen shut for a few days."
"I had to take multiple trips to the opthamologist and even the ER at one point," he said, because white, floppy "pseudomembranes" were growing in his eyes, "covering the inside of my eyelids and over my eyes."
Opthamologist Vicki Chan said in a TikTok video that pseudomembranes are essentially "white cells and pus and fibrin which has congealed on the eye." They can be usually be peeled off or pulled out of the eye, and eye doctors may prescribe steroid drops to keep them from coming back afterwards.
It's not unusual for people with viral infections to get pink eye, which is usually caused by a virus or bacteria. Previous studies have suggested people with COVID get pink eye about 1% of the time, but that rate could be increasing with the Arcturus variant.
Dr. Jessica Kiss said that people might brush off viral pink eye thinking it's just their spring allergies, but she encourages everyone with eye irritation to test for COVID. "I think this was the first symptom I had the last time I had COVID," she said on TikTok.