PERSPECTIVE COVID-19 Vaccination and The Eye

circle PURPOSE: To summarize the current evidence on COVID-19 vaccine-associated ocular adverse events. circle DESIGN: Narrative literature review. circle METHODS: The literature search was conducted in August 2021 using 4 electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Database of Sys-tematic Reviews. Population-based pharmacovigilance surveillance data were retrieved from all governmental agencies participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) Programme for International Drug Monitoring with publicly available online adverse event databases in English. circle RESULTS: A small number of case reports have doc-umented uveitis flares and acute corneal graft rejection occurring within the first 3 weeks following immuniza-tion, while isolated cases of optic neuropathies, reti-nal conditions, scleritis, and herpetic eye disease have also been highlighted. However, data from population-based pharmacovigilance surveillance systems suggest that the prevalence of vaccination-associated ocular ad-verse events are very rare. circle CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination-associated ocular adverse events are rare, and there is currently no substantive evidence to counterweigh the overwhelming benefits of COVID-19 immunization in patients with pre-existing ophthalmic conditions. (Am J Ophthalmol 2022;240: 79-98. (c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Automated summary

This article provides a summary of the latest evidence on COVID-19 vaccine-associated ocular adverse events through a narrative literature review. The data suggest that vaccination-associated ocular adverse events are very rare, and there is no evidence to suggest any negative effects of COVID-19 immunization in patients with pre-existing ophthalmic conditions.