Covid: Nine-year-old boy ‘almost went blind’ after catching coronavirus and suffering rare side effect

A nine-year-old boy was nearly left blind after suffering a rare Covid-19 side effect.

Zac Morely, from Bristol, picked up a skin condition dubbed ‘Covid eye’, with some scientists linking the ailment as an uncommon side effect of contracting the virus.

Zac’s family have now issued a warning to others about the condition after their son nearly permanently lost his eyesight.

Zac tests positive

The youngster’s issues began after he and his family members tested positive for Covid-19.

Zac, along with his four siblings and his mum, tested positive on 16 December.

Initially, he had experienced mild cold-like symptoms and began to test negative for the virus on 22 December.

However, despite testing negative twice on this date, Zac began to feel a pain in his left eye.

‘It was not good at all’

Zac’s mum, Angela, said that she initially thought that the pain had been caused by looking at the computer screen for long periods of time, as the young boy has spent much of his isolation period playing computer games.

She said: “I thought it was just being on the computer for seven days solid so didn’t think anything of it.

“But by Christmas Eve it was not good at all.”

Zac was admitted to hospital on Christmas Eve and spent his Christmas Day in hospital, with doctors working to save his eyesight.

Angela added: “His eye looked like it was going to explode.

“There was no way he could open it without pulling the skin. It was swollen beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Doctors gave Angela a warning that the skin infection, known as orbital cellulitis, was serious and could have major implications for Zac’s eyesight.

Angela said: “They said if it goes too far into the eye then it can cause blindness.

“The doctors said it was an allergic reaction to the virus that affects children.”

Zac’s eyesight is fully restored

Eventually, the swelling in Zac’s eye went down and, after an eye test in hospital, it was confirmed that he had regained his full eyesight.

He was discharged from hospital on Boxing Day.

The World Health Organisation has linked red and irritated eyes as an uncommon side effect of coronavirus, with orbital cellulitis linked as a side effect of Covid-19 in various studies.

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