Association of Ocular Adverse Events With Inactivated COVID 19 Vaccination in Patients in Abu Dhabi.
Importance As vaccinations against COVID 19 continue, potential ocular adverse events should be reported in detail to increase awareness among the medical community, although typically, a causal relationship cannot be established definitively. Objective To describe ocular adverse events that occur soon after receiving an inactivated COVID 19 vaccination (Sinopharm) Design, Setting, and Participants This case series took place from September 2020 to January 2021 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a tertiary referral center. Patients who reported ocular adverse events and presented within 15 days from the first of 2 doses of an inactivated COVID 19 vaccine were analyzed. Main Outcomes and Measures Each patient underwent Snellen best corrected visual acuity that was then converted to logMAR, applanation tonometry, and biomicroscopic examination with indirect ophthalmoscopy. Color fundus photography was obtained with a conventional 9 field fundus photography camera or with a widefield fundus photography system. Optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomographic angiography images were obtained. Sex, race, age, and clinical data were self reported. Results Nine eyes of 7 patients (3 male individuals) presenting with ocular complaints following COVID 19 vaccine were included in the study. The mean (SD) age was 41.4 (9.3) years (range, 30 55 years) the mean best corrected visual acuity was 0.23 logMAR (range, 0 1 logMAR; approximate Snellen equivalent, 20/32) The mean time of ocular adverse event manifestations was 5.2 days (range, 1 10 days) One patient was diagnosed with episcleritis, 2 with anterior scleritis, 2 with acute macular neuroretinopathy, 1 with paracentral acute middle maculopathy, and 1 with subretinal fluid. Conclusions and Relevance In this case series study of 7 patients, the timing of transient and ocular complications 5.2 days after vaccination with an inactivated COVID 19 vaccine supported an association with the ocular findings, but a causal relationship cannot be established from this study design.
JAMA ophthalmology