2Specialist Dr., Malatya Training and Research Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Malatya, Türkiye DOI : 10.37845/ret.vit.2022.31.60 Purpose: This study aims to assess the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and short-term hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) usage on retina and choroid in COVID-19 patients.
Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational, comparative study. Group 1 consisted of 36 healthy individuals, and Group 2 consisted of 31 subjects with COVID-19 and short-term hydroxychloroquine usage. The subfoveal choroidal thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and macular thickness were evaluated utilizing spectral-domain OCT after a detailed ophthalmologic examination.
Results: The mean age of the Group 1 was 29.47±7.6 years, and the mean age of the Group 2 was 30.45±7.2 years. In Group 1, 44.4% of the patients were female, while in Group 2, 61.2% of the patients were female. There was no statistically significant difference in age, gender distribution, smoking status, intraocular pressure, and spherical equivalent values between the groups. The subfoveal choroidal thicknesses of the right and left eyes were found lower in Group 1 than Group 2; however, these differences were not statistically significant [p=0.22 (right), p=0.11 (left)]. Furthermore, RNFL thicknesses and macular thicknesses were similar in both groups.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 and short-term HCQ usage had no significant negative effects on retina and choroid.
Keywords : Choroid, COVID-19, Hydroxychloroquine, Retina