Although viruses such as herpes simplex can infect the cornea and Zika has been found in corneal tissue and tears, this does not appear to be the case with COVID-19, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They said the cornea appears to resist infection from the novel coronavirus. It's not clear, however, if other tissue in and around the cornea, such as the tear ducts and the conjunctiva (loose connective tissue that covers the eyeball), can be infected.