Clinical Ophthalmology (Mar 2022)
Branch Retinal Artery Occlusions, Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy and Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy After COVID-19 Vaccinations
Abstract
Koki Ishibashi,1,2 Hiroyuki Yatsuka,3 Masatoshi Haruta,1 Kenichi Kimoto,3 Shigeo Yoshida,1 Toshiaki Kubota3 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Yame General Hospital, Yame, Japan; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, JapanCorrespondence: Masatoshi Haruta, Department of Ophthalmology, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka, 830-0011, Japan, Tel +81 942 31 7574, Fax +81 942 37 0324, Email [email protected]: Potential retinal adverse events after COVID-19 vaccinations reported previously include paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM), acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN), and central serous chorioretinopathy. We report four cases of branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), one case of PAMM, and one case of AMN that occurred after administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of six patients who presented to Yame General Hospital or Oita University Hospital from July through October 2021.Results: Four patients (2 males) presented with visual field defects associated with BRAO, one male patient with PAMM, and one female patient with AMN after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The mean age was 59.3 years; the mean best-corrected visual acuity was 20/21. The mean time from the last vaccination to the onset of visual field defect was 22.8 days. Five patients had received two doses of the vaccine and one patient one dose. Patients’ medical history included diabetes mellitus in case 2, hypertension in cases 2, 3 and 6, and Alport syndrome and end-stage renal disease in case 6 for which the patient was undergoing regular hemodialysis.Conclusion: Although rare, retinal adverse events may occur after COVID-19 vaccinations. Further studies with a larger sample size should determine whether these retinal abnormalities are causally associated with COVID-19 vaccinations or just coincidental. Potential risks of BRAO/PAMM/AMN after COVID-19 vaccinations must be carefully weighed against the substantial benefit of COVID-19 vaccinations.Keywords: acute macular neuroretinopathy, branch retinal artery occlusion, paracentral acute middle maculopathy, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, retinal adverse events
