Pfizer Eye Pain, Pfizer Eye Injection (COVID-19 Vaccine Ophthalmic Side Effects)-Part. 2
“Pfizer eye pain”
This is second episode about ocular side effects of vaccine.
We had talked about ocular side effects after vaccination and “ocular inflammatroy disease” which discuss about today.
(Please click here for the previous post)
So, let’s talk about it in earnest with paper below.
차례
What kind of people.
Study objects.
This study was analyzed based on data obtained from 40 vaccination center around the world.
Inclusion Criteria
After COVID-19 vaccination
If the ophthalmic symptoms ocuured within 14 days and that symptoms meet various ocular inflammation standards(IOIS, IUSG), they were included in this study.
Finally, total 70 cases were selected and analyzed.
what side effects was there
Thus, total 70 cases of ocular inflammation were analyzed and the results are shown in the table below.
We often see the table like this in many articles but it is difficult to interpret
To summarize the main contents~
- The age was various range 19 to 84 years old.
- There was no difference between male and female.
- The most common type of vaccine was mRNA such as Pfizer or Moderna.
- Most common type of comlication was inflammation at front of eye(anterior uveitis) with 58 percents.
- posterior parts inflammation(posterior uveitis) was 12.9 percents.
- inflammation at white of eye(scleritis) was 10 percents.
- Others (such as optic neuritis) showed a distribution of about 18%.
That’s almost all I can summarize
The reasion why this happen in Pfizer and Moderna mainly is becuase they are most commonly used vaccine.
There’s a lot of word, “uvea”, let’s know about uvea first.
What is uvea
Uvea is membrane that surrouds the eyes.
Because it can’t be seen on outside, it’s unfamiliar concepts.
In the picture on the left, the uvea is marked by red.
It surrouds all of the eye from anterior to posterior. right?
It is membrane that exist middle depth in the eye tissue.
The “iris”, which we commonly call “pupil” is a part of uvea actually.
Its most anteior parts of uvea
Anyway, disease cuase inflammation in uvea is called “uveitis” and depending on location of inflamed uvea
by anterior, intermediate and posterior(sometimes intermediate is considered as posterior part)
As the picture above, the inflammation of anterior uveitis is occurred at anterior part of eye and the same goes for intermediate and posterior.
We’ll end the brief explanation about uveitis.
Anterior uveitis
Anterior uveitis, which was the most common means deep tissue inflammation of anterior part of eye.
Let’s see more friendly by comparing with our skin organ.
If conjunctivitis or keratitis which called red eye disease is superficial skin infection, the uveitis is cellulitis which is more deep infection.
Such as conjunctivitis, uveitis have symptoms of injection, foreign body sensation and pain but it is characterized by being more severe.
Posterior uveitis
Posterior uveitis means the deep tissue inflammation of posterior parts of eye, right?
Posterior uveitis is occurred at vitreous, retina or choroid which exist in posterior part of eye,
Compared to anteior uveitis which was previously described, pain or injection is not severein posterior uveitis but, the retina, a tissue acts as film, can be invaded which can lead to decreased vision.
Intermediate uveitis, often regarded as posterior uveitis, is difficult to diagnosis because its early symptom is very vague.
Scleritis
The next common type is scleritis.
It’s another confusing things, sclera.
The sclera is a part commonly referred to as the “white.” Isn’t white the conjunctiva?
Yes. The white is not only conjunctiva but also sclera
Real white is sclera and that is covered by translucent thin memebrane called conjunctiva.
Such as relationship between white of eggs and the thin memebrane that covers them
Anyway, a disease that causes inflammation of the sclera, which is the white of the eye, is called “scleritis”
Symptoms?
There are various things such as congestion, pain, foreign body sensation, glare, etc.
Injection can go into all eye diseases, right? So it’s hard to diagnosis eye injection.
The picture above shows eye injection due to scleritis (It could be gross, black and white…)
When does it start?
When did the ocular complication occur after vaccination?
To summarize the main contents…
- Ocular complication occurred 61% after the first inoculation and 39% after the second inoculation.
- The average onset of side effects was about 5 to 6 days after vaccination.
- If side effects occurred after the first inoculation, 33% of the cases had side effects againafter the second inoculation.
Vulnerable peoples.
It’s difficult table again..
- 51.4%of those who suffered side effects had similar ophthalmic inflammatory diseasesbefore vaccination.
That’s all that matters.
In other words, it may be a little more dangerous if you have a previous history of being treated for an ophthalmic inflammatory disease.
How serious were the symptoms?
- The symptoms occured at unilateral eye in 85%
- no visual decrease in 50%
- mild visual decrease in 25%
- and rest of them, 25% have moderate visual disturbance.
Treatment and prognosis
About treatment is~
- Main treatment was immune control by steroid.
- 68%of them were easily controlled with topical steroid,
- 18% need systemic steroid because it was insufficient with topical steroid
Let’s see treatment course and prognosis
- Almost all(92%) recovered their vision completely.
- Aboout 3% of them had mild visual decreasion
- About 4% of them had mid to severe visual decreasing
As a complication…
there were temporary elevation of intra ocular pressure, corneal opacity, macular edema and macular scar as rare as 3% and that was related with visual decreasing.
Review
Why are there side effects>
Why do these ocular inflammatory disease after COVID-19 vaccination as complication?
The answere is there are nothing to sure.
Pericarditis is known as the most dangerous complication of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine That is also inflammation
Although we don’t know about mechanism exactly, maybe there are some temporary confusion in immune system
And certainly, there are some people who vulnerable to this immune reaction.
Especially who has history of that inflammatory disease before is more vulnerable.
Only COVID-19 vaccine?
The thing what you have to know is this kinds of inflammatory disease after vaccination is not only COVID vaccine problem.
These complications can occur after almost all vaccinesuch as flu, hepatitis, HPV vaccine.
Just in case of exceptionally rapidly made vaccine in this exceptional corona pandemic situation and continuous vaccination, there must be worry about vaccine complication.
So, should we have to be vaccinated?
The authors of this paper say
There are no reason not to get vaccine because the prevalence of complication was very low, and its prognosis was good.
They always say
The advantage of vaccination above disadvantage.
Writer’s think
Let’s summarize the contents.
- Prevalence of ocular complication after COVID-19 vaccination was very rare.
- Ocular complication which can be problem was “inflammatory disease”.
- Symptoms of this inflammatory disease is various but eye injection and decreased vision were most common.
- If you have previous history of inflammatory disease such as uveitis or sclerites, you need much more caution
- In case of complications, most of them were completely resolved without visual problem.
- These kinds of complication are not only problem of COVID-19 vaccine.
That’s all.
If you have eye injection or feeling of decreased vision after COVID-19 vaccination, go to ophthalmology immediately.
(
especially if you have memory of ocular disease before)
That’s it.
In fact, there are so many reports of side effects such as optic nerve disease and various ophthalmic diseases (extraocular myositis). I think the article will be too long to explain further.
(The article is always long; ophthalmology is too difficult to explain ㅜㅜ)
Thank you for reading this long article, and for your questions, please use the community.
#Pfizer eye injection
#Pfizer eye pain