Omicron cases in Ireland remain high as the more transmissible variant of Covid-19 continues to circulate in communities.
The dominant strain presents in people with symptoms largely different to the signs associated with the original coronavirus.
At the outset of the pandemic, the classic three signs of coronavirus were a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
However, Omicron has been found to affect different parts of the body.
Symptoms of Omicron have been described as mild and more similar to a common cold, but the new strain has shown some lesser-known signs, including one that appears in the eyes, as the Express reports.
According to one doctor, the sign which could be a symptom of Omicron is conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis (red or pink eye) is an eye condition caused by infection or allergies, the HSE says.
It usually makes your eyes bloodshot, itchy, gritty or sore, produce pus that sticks to lashes, swollen, or watery.
GP Dr Nisa Aslam explained how Covid can target the eyes, saying: “Cell receptors by which Covid variants enter the body are present in the eye.
“The virus penetrates the body by tricking the receptors for the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE-2) into thinking the virus is the ACE-2 enzyme.
“These receptors are found in different parts of the eye - cells which line the retina, eye white and eyelid.”
A recent study, published in the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology, suggests that conjunctivitis could be a COVID-19 symptom.
This study looked at a 29-year-old woman who turned up at her local hospital back in March 2020.
The woman had minimal respiratory symptoms but suffered from “a severe case of conjunctivitis”.
As she tested positive for coronavirus, people suffering from this symptom are now treated as potential Covid patients.
Dr Aslam added the evidence seems even stronger for Omicron: “A preliminary - as yet not peer-reviewed - paper shows that the Omicron variant has a greater capacity for binding to ACE-2 receptors compared with the Beta and Delta variants.
“This would suggest that conjunctivitis could be a symptom of the Omicron variant.”
The doctor added that this symptom might appear in people who are otherwise asymptomatic.
She explained what to do if you get conjunctivitis.
“It’s important to protect your eyes by keeping them clean and treating any red eye or discharge quickly," Dr Aslam said.
“Wipe away any crust from each eye using a separate, clean cotton wool pad dipped in cooled boiled water.”
Mild conjunctivitis infections can also be treated by certain eye drops or eye ointments.
