German Researchers Shockingly Discover That COVID-19 Triggers Foveal Avascular Zone Enlargement in Many!
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Nov 29, 2025 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
Medical News: A new study from Germany has revealed disturbing evidence that COVID19 may be causing hidden damage to one of the most delicate parts of the human eye. According to researchers from the University Eye Hospital at Hannover Medical School and the Department of Pulmonology at Hannover Medical School, many people who recover from COVID-19 show enlargement of the foveal avascular zone, a tiny vessel free region in the retina that is essential for sharp central vision. This finding, highlighted in this
Medical News report, raises new concerns about how the virus may be silently affecting long term eye and neurological health.
New research links enlarged foveal avascular zones to long COVID fatigue.
Evidence of Silent Eye Injury
The foveal avascular zone, commonly known as the FAZ, is a critical structure that depends on stable microvascular support. In this study, patients were examined using advanced imaging technology several weeks after recovering from COVID19. The researchers found that the FAZ was noticeably enlarged in many individuals, even among those who had mild infections and were never hospitalized. An enlarged FAZ suggests the possibility of reduced blood flow or subtle microvascular damage that cannot be detected through routine eye examinations.
This type of change, although not immediately noticeable to the patient, may signal ongoing stress within the retinal circulation. Because the retina is a direct extension of the central nervous system, damage detected here may reflect similar changes elsewhere in the body.
Long COVID Fatigue Strongly Linked to Retinal Changes
One of the most striking discoveries was the connection between long COVID fatigue and FAZ enlargement. Patients experiencing persistent fatigue after their infection had significantly larger FAZ measurements compared to both healthy individuals and COVID19 survivors without fatigue. This strongly suggests that long term inflammation and endothelial dysfunction—believed to play key roles in long COVID—are also impacting the eye’s microvascular system.
Even patients with extreme fatigue showed trends toward FAZ enlargement, although the group was small. Nevertheless, the pattern was clear: the more pronounced the long COVID symptoms, the more likely the eye was affected.
A Warning Sign for Future Health Risks
The retina shares strong structural and functional similarities with the brain’s microvascular network. This means retinal changes may serve as early warning signs of broader systemic injury. The researchers suggest that simple noninvasive eye scans could help monitor long COVID patients and identify those at risk of developing further complications.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that COVID19 can trigger meaningful but hidden microvascular injury in the eye, with foveal avascular zone enlargement emerging as an important red flag. The strong association with long COVID fatigue suggests deeper systemic inv
olvement that requires urgent long-term monitoring. Understanding these subtle retinal changes may help clinicians better track long COVID’s progression and identify patients at higher risk of future complications.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: BMC Ophthalmology.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12886-025-04528-4
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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