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Case Reports
. 2022 Jun:26:101445.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajoc.2022.101445. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Branch retinal vein occlusion in a healthy young man following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Daiana Roxana Pur  1 , Lulu Liane Catherine Danielle Bursztyn  2 , Yiannis Iordanous  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Branch retinal vein occlusion in a healthy young man following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Daiana Roxana Pur et al. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To report a case of a branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.

Observations: A 34-year-old healthy male presented with blurriness in the inferior visual field, intermittent photopsia, multiple retinal hemorrhages, dilated and tortuous retinal vessels, and cotton wools spots in the right eye. The clinical examination and ancillary tests confirmed the diagnosis of a right eye BRVO. The visual symptoms started 2 days following first dose COVID-19 vaccination with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine.

Conclusions and importance: This is a rare case of BRVO in an otherwise healthy young man, presenting after vaccination for COVID-19 in the absence of other coagulable risk factors. As the literature on venous thrombosis after COVID-19 vaccinations remains sparse, it is critical to raise awareness that BRVO could be a vaccine-related thrombotic adverse event. We highlight that as more of the population is vaccinated, an increased incidence of BRVO may confirm the link to COVID-19 vaccination.

Keywords: BRVO; Branch retinal vein occlusion; COVID-19; Retina; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The following authors have no financial disclosures: DRP, LLCDB, YI.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Colour photo of right eye superior nasal branch retinal vein occlusion demonstrating venous dilation and tortuosity, multiple retinal hemorrhages and cotton wool spots. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Fluorescein angiogram A) at 26 seconds showing delayed venous filling and B) at 6 minutes showing staining and leakage of the affected veins. The superior temporal branch remains uninvolved with normal filling and no leakage.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Colour photo of the right eye at 10 month follow up, showing resolution of intraretinal hemorrhages, but new macular exudates. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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