Those itchy red eyes may not be a sign of seasonal allergies after all. It appears that COVID-19 has morphed into yet another form, called Arcturus, that’s causing this symptom as it hits the U.S. According to NBC New York, the omicron subvariant, XBB.1.16, whose cases are soaring in India, is making waves here in America.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its prevalence may be as high as 14% of current cases. What’s notable about Arcturus so far, besides being highly contagious, is that pediatricians have noted that children, especially, have an unusual COVID-19 symptom: itchy conjunctivitis with sticky eyes.

The director of the Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Virology Laboratory, Dr. Matthew Binnicker, reported that experts are seeing a rise in red, itchy eyes in younger patients with the new strain, a symptom not yet seen during the three years into the pandemic.

“One new feature of cases caused by this variant is that it seems to be causing conjunctivitis, or red and itchy eyes, in our patients,” he said. “This is not something that we’ve see with prior strains of the virus.”

Binnicker reports that cases of respiratory infections in general have begun to drop as we enter the spring months in the Northern Hemisphere, but SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 keeps emerging because the virus mutates and copies itself as it spreads from person to person, creating new variants.

“New variants come and go. We’re seeing increased transmission rates, so higher levels of infectivity with recent COVID-19 variants, but in general, they tend to be causing less severe disease in individuals,  which is good news,” explains Dr. Binnicker. “This is likely due to a combination of factors, including higher vaccination rates, higher rates of immunity from prior infection, and a lower pathogenicity of recent variants.”

Health experts suggest that people remain vigilant and follow the usual prevention measures of washing hands frequently, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and staying home when you are sick. In addition, if you have red, itchy eyes, don’t assume it is allergies. See your doctor.