Bangkok, Thailand

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After receiving a simple COVID-19 treatment, a six-month-old baby boy's eye colour reportedly changed from dark brown to bright blue. 

The infant from Thailand was diagnosed with COVID-19 after he showed symptoms of fever and cough for a day, as mentioned in a case published in the medical journal Frontier in Pediatrics.

The doctor had prescribed favipiravir to the infant as per a Thai Ministry of Public Health-approved antiviral treatment for children with mild to moderate symptoms. However, after 18 hours, the baby's mother noticed his eyes had changed colour. Concerned, the mother contacted the medical professionals, who asked her to stop the treatment immediately, the New York Post reported.

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The discolouration faded after five days, and the baby boy's eyes regained their original colour. Doctors also examined the infant and found the cornea had cleared, and the bluish hue was gone from the surface of the iris or the anterior lens capsule. 

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While experts are still unaware of the reason behind the discolouration, they suspect the fluorescence (the emission of absorbed light) may be because of the drug's metabolites or additional tablet components like titanium dioxide and yellow ferric oxide. 

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Some studies have suggested a direct relationship between the concentration of favipiravir and fluorescence intensity, particularly in human hair and nails. 

The child did not experience any vision damage and successfully recovered from COVID-19 symptoms.

Mild hyperuricemia (increased uric acid levels), diarrhoea, and neutropenia (decreased white blood cell neutrophils) are the most common side effects of favipiravir, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of adverse reactions. 

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However, this was not the first corneal discolouration due to favipiravir consumption for COVID-19 treatment. In 2021, a 20-year-old Indian man reported the strange effect of the treatment. He noticed his dark brown eyes had become bright blue on the second day of favipiravir treatment. Doctors instructed him to stop the medication, and his eyes returned to normal after one day. 

Several countries, including Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Kazakhstan, have approved Favipiravir for COVID-19 treatment, but it has not received an FDA licence. It received approval for emergency use in Italy in 2020.

Many United States researchers suggest the medication is effective for COVID-19 treatment, as several studies tested the drug's ability to combat the disease. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved favipiravir yet.

(With inputs from agencies)

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