Presumably Corneal Graft Rejection after COVID-19 Vaccination

Abstract

We report two cases of corneal graft rejection following immunization with COVID-19-inactivated vaccine Sinopharm and describe the practical implications of this phenomenon in the clinical setting. A 36-year-old woman with a history of unilateral repeated PKP received the first dose of inactivated Sinopharm vaccine. Seven days later, she presented with symptoms and signs of unilateral corneal graft rejection on slit-lamp examination. A 54-year-old woman with a history of unilateral PKP secondary to herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) developed signs of unilateral corneal graft rejection just a week after injection of the first dose of the similar vaccine. Rejection in both patients was treated successfully with topical steroids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of corneal graft rejection following the COVID-19-inactivated Sinopharm vaccine which occurred through the short period after the injection. We hypothesized that the rejection is the result of an allogenic reaction and the immunogenic role of aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant of this type of vaccine. However, as the second case had a history of rejection following the HSK, a reactivation could not be definitely ruled out. Ophthalmologists should consider these types of adverse reactions after COVID-19 immunization and also monitor a close follow-up of graft health postimmunization. Patients should be informed about the signs and symptoms of rejection, urgent referral, and treatment.

Keywords

• corneal graft
• graft rejection
• covid-19
• vaccination