ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There have been several studies on inflammatory ophthalmic diseases; however, few studies have reported neuro-ophthalmological symptoms, such as diplopia and ocular motor nerve palsy, after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Therefore, this study aimed to report neuro-ophthalmological symptoms in patients after COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: This was a retrospective study based on the medical records of 10 patients who visited our ophthalmology clinic in 2021 with symptoms, such as diplopia (nine patients) and decreased visual acuity (one patient), and showed findings, such as ocular motor nerve palsy, after vaccination against COVID-19. RESULTS: One patient had third nerve palsy, two had sixth nerve palsy, and five had fourth nerve palsy. One patient complained of subjective binocular diplopia but all test results were normal. One patient presented with decreased visual acuity accompanied by a sudden increase in intraocular pressure and orbital cellulitis in the other eye. The symptoms improved gradually in most patients. Compared with previous studies, this study reported three cases of antiplatelet therapy that was initiated due to the older age of the patients and underlying diseases. CONCLUSION: As COVID-19 vaccines can cause neuro-ophthalmological diseases, such as ocular motor nerve palsy, patients' age and underlying diseases should be considered while administering them.
Subject(s)
Abducens Nerve Diseases , COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Humans , Abducens Nerve Diseases/chemically induced , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Diplopia/chemically induced , Paralysis/chemically induced , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The authors report the case of an otherwise healthy 65-year-old man who presented with an acute right abducens nerve palsy 3 days after receiving the second dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Abducens nerve palsies typically results from microvascular disease or compressive tumors, although they are known to arise following routine vaccinations. Given the lack of preexisting risk factors, normal computed tomography scan results, and the timing of the symptoms, the abducens nerve palsy was believed to be related to the vaccination. This report highlights the potential neurologic adverse effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(6):e49-e50.].