ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous vaccines have been developed for the disease. However, with large-scale vaccination has come the gradual emergence of immunological phenomena caused by these new vaccines. Herein, we report a 48-year-old female with a sudden onset of inferior visual field defects in the left eye following her first dose of the ChAdOx1 vaccine. Dilated fundus examination combined with optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography confirmed the diagnosis of branch retinal artery occlusion. Within 4 weeks following vaccination, symptoms associated with hearing impairment developed, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed leptomeningeal enhancement. The diagnosis of Susac syndrome (SS) was confirmed. The development of SS may be caused by endotheliopathy resulting from the molecular mimicry of the ChAdOx1 vaccine. Clinicians should be aware of the symptoms of SS, which may develop after COVID-19 vaccination. Further experimental surveillance and case-control studies are required to confirm this relationship.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound and lasting consequences since 2019. Although vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed and approved under emergency use authorization, various adverse events have also been reported after COVID-19 vaccination. This review was undertaken to help clinicians recognize the possible manifestations and systemic pathogenesis, especially those related to the eye, after receiving COVID-19 vaccination. A systemic search was performed on 22 August 2021 through Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library for publications on ocular manifestations after COVID-19 vaccination. Two case-control studies/retrospective cohort studies, one cross-sectional study, three case series, sixteen case reports, two images, and seven letters were included. Ocular manifestations after receiving COVID-19 vaccines may appear on the eyelid, cornea and ocular surface, retina, uvea, nerve, and vessel. The ocular manifestations occurred up to forty-two days after vaccination, and vaccine-induced immunologic responses may be responsible. Although the incidence rate of ocular symptoms is considerably lower in the vaccinated subjects than in COVID-19 patients, physicians should be aware of the possible associations between COVID-19 vaccines and ocular symptoms for the early diagnosis and treatment of vision problems or life-threatening complications.