Bilateral Panuveitis Mimicking Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease following the First Dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine

Method We report a case of bilateral panuveitis and its resolution based on multimodal retinal images after she was administered the first dose of a viral vector-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Case report A 72-year-old woman complained of bilateral blurred vision with headache, neck stiffness, and tinnitus 3 days after receiving the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Initial examination revealed anterior chamber reactions, left optic disc hyperemia, and bilateral chorioretinal folds with choroidal thickening. Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography revealed bilateral choroiditis and papillitis. Systemic steroid therapy dramatically alleviated panuveitis and meningeal signs. No recurrence was noted until 3 months after discontinuation of steroids. Conclusions Bilateral panuveitis mimicking Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease can develop shortly after the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Ophthalmologists should consider bilateral panuveitis as a presumed post-vaccination adverse event. Systemic steroid therapy may be effective for the nCoV-19 vaccine-associated panuveitis.

Automated summary

This article reports a case of bilateral panuveitis in a 72-year-old woman after receiving the first dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The resolution of panuveitis was observed through multimodal retinal imaging. Systemic steroid therapy effectively alleviated inflammation in the eyes and meninges, with no recurrence observed.