Ocular manifestations, albeit rare, are possibly associated with COVID-19 infection or vaccination, according to a poster presented at the 24th Euretina Congress in Barcelona.1
The poster authors conducted a single centre descriptive study of patients presenting with ocular manifestations within 30 days of either COVID-19 infection or vaccination, with a negative workup for other possible aetiologies.
The patients were seen at a hospital in Tunisia in 2021 and 2022.
Thirteen patients (16 eyes) exhibited ocular manifestations related to COVID-19 infection… appearing on average 11 days after initial symptoms.
Thirteen patients (16 eyes) exhibited ocular manifestations related to COVID-19 infection, mostly mild to moderate, appearing on average 11 days after initial symptoms.
Neuro-ophthalmological manifestations were the most common (optic neuropathy=3, oculomotor palsies=3), followed by retinal vascular involvement (retinal microangiopathy=1, central retinal artery occlusion=1, mixed vascular occlusion=1), inflammatory manifestations (intermediate uveitis=1, acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy=1), and conjunctivitis (n=2).
Eleven patients (13 eyes) had ocular manifestations possibly associated with COVID-19 vaccination. Ocular involvement occurred after the first dose of vaccine in nine patients, and after the second dose in two patients.
The average time between vaccination and ocular symptoms was nine days. Ocular inflammatory involvement was the most common manifestation.
Other manifestations included anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (n=3), central retinal vein occlusion (n=2), herpetic keratitis (n=1), and herpes zoster ophthalmicus (n=1).
Reference
1. Abroug N, Sayahi MB, Mourali M, et al. Ocular involvement among patients with COVID-19 infection or vaccination: a case series. Presented at the 24th Euretina Congress, September 19-22, Barcelona, Spain. Session: uveitis e-poster. Abstract available at: abstracts.euretina.org/2024/ca24-2693-7431/r/rec0sxHMTcfjrzbNP [accessed Sept 2024].
