Within 18 hours of favipiravir treatment for COVID-19, a six-month-old Thailand baby boy’s eye color changed from brown to blue, and then returned to brown, according to a case study published in Frontiers Pediatrics. The first case of favipiravir-induced bluish discoloration of the cornea in an adult appeared in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, in 2021.

According to the case report on the baby, his pediatrician prescribed a 200 mg/tab at a dose of 82 mg/kg/day on day 1 and f800 mg/60 ml of favipiravir syrup on days 2 to 5. Eighteen hours after initiating treatment, the baby’s mother noticed the corneal color change, though no sign of bluish discoloration in any other areas of the baby’s body. After COVID-19 symptom improvement at day 3, the pediatrician decided to cease favipiravir use, due to concerns over the corneal color change. Five days after the baby stopped using the medication, his cornea returned to brown.
 
Eye exam using a handheld slit lamp 2 weeks post COVID-19 revealed the patient could fix and follow light in all directions, the anterior chamber was deep and clear, lacking content, and the cornea was clear, sans a bluish discoloration, according to an ophthalmologist who assessed the baby.

For the entire case report, visit https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1154814/full. CP