{
  "abstract": "Background Although health problems may persist beyond 4 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, evidence on long-term ophthalmic sequelae is limited. We conducted a binational, population-based cohort study to evaluate the association between postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of multiple ophthalmic diseases.Methods Data were collected from two large cohorts: South Korea (discovery cohort; n=15,992,761) and Japan (validation cohort; n=12,218,680), including individuals aged ≥20 years who were infected with SARS-CoV-2. Cox proportional hazards models with propensity score-based overlap weighting were used to estimate HRs, with analyses stratified by COVID-19 severity and SARS-CoV-2 variant period.Results In the overlap-weighted discovery cohort, 4 041 250 individuals (mean age 52.52 years (SD 11.52); 59.1% male) were included. SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a long-term increased risk of any ophthalmic disease (HR, 1.23 (95% CI, 1.22–1.25)). Elevated risks were observed for glaucoma (1.21 (1.19–1.23)), cornea and conjunctiva diseases (1.22 (1.21–1.23)), blepharitis (1.19 (1.17–1.22)), retinopathy (1.17 (1.15–1.18)), uveitis (1.11 (1.01–1.22)) and neuro-ophthalmic diseases (1.11 (1.06–1.15)). The risk of ophthalmic diseases gradually attenuated over time after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The risk was more pronounced among individuals with severe COVID-19. The associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of ophthalmic diseases were generally consistent across the pre-Delta, Delta and Omicron eras. Similar patterns were consistently observed in the validation cohort.Conclusions Our findings suggest an increased risk of postacute ophthalmic sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 infection, underscoring the need for sustained clinical vigilance across a broad range of ophthalmic conditions.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Jee Myung Yang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea",
        "Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, South Korea",
        "Department of Electronics and Information Convergence Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Hayeon Lee"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea",
        "Department of Precision Medicine, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Jaeyu Park"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Vision Research, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Min Kim"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Ho-Seok Sa"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea",
        "Heaan Seoul Eye Center, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Joo Yong Lee"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Kyung Rim Sung"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Unit of Medical Statistics and Molecular Epidemiology, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "Francesco Branda"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Animal Disease Investigation and Control Division, Department of Livestock Services, Lalitpur, Nepal"
      ],
      "name": "Krishna Prasad Acharya"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea",
        "Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, South Korea",
        "Department of Electronics and Information Convergence Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, South Korea",
        "Department of Precision Medicine, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea",
        "Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea"
      ],
      "name": "Dong Keon Yon"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection on ophthalmic diseases: a binational cohort study",
  "uid": "3d2b4932-67a3-50ac-9de1-56c502aa773f"
}