J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2023 Oct;64(10):976-980. 10.3341/jkos.2023.64.10.976.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease after COVID-19 Vaccination

• Lee CE
• Kim S

• KMID: 2546821
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2023.64.10.976

Abstract

Purpose
To report a case of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease after COVID-19 vaccination.
Case summary
A 53-year-old female patient with no history of systemic disease or ocular surgery presented with bilateral decreased visual acuity, hyperemia, eye pain, and headache 1 month after COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech). She initially presented 1 week after symptom onset. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 0.63 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye, and she had bilateral grade 2 anterior chamber reactions on slit-lamp examination. Fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography revealed bilateral optic disc swelling, choroidal folds, multiple serous retinal detachments, and fluorescein leakage at posterior poles. She was diagnosed with VKH disease and treated with topical and systemic medications, which completely resolved her symptoms over 2 months.
Conclusions
VKH disease can develop after COVID-19 vaccination in patients without any underlying disease. Therefore, possible side effects and treatments should be explained to patients receiving COVID-19 vaccination.

Keyword

COVID-19 vaccination, Uveitis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease