Risk of retinal vein occlusion following COVID-19 vaccination: a self-controlled case series

Marco Pellegrini, Adriano Carnevali, Tito Fiore, Carlo Cagini, Antonella de Palma, Luigi Fontana, Enrico Lupardi, Federico Cassini, Daniela Bacherini, Fabrizio Giansanti, Giuseppe Giannaccare, Vincenzo Scorcia, Sabrina Vaccaro, Nicolò Ciarmatori, Sergio D’Angelo, Francesco Parmeggiani, Marco Mura

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Abstract

Background: To evaluate the association between COVID-19 vaccination and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods: This multicentre self-controlled case series included patients with RVO seen in five tertiary referral centres in Italy. All adults who received at least one dose of the BNT162b2, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, mRNA-1273 or Ad26.COV2.S vaccine and had a first diagnosis of RVO between January 01, 2021, and December 31, 2021 were included. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of RVO were estimated using Poisson regression, comparing rates of events in a 28-day period following each dose of vaccination and in the unexposed control periods. Results: 210 patients were included in the study. No increased risk of RVO was observed after the first dose (1–14 days IRR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.41–1.85; 15–28 days IRR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.50–2.04; 1–28 days IRR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.55–1.58) and second dose of vaccination (1–14 days IRR: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.62–2.37; 15–28 days IRR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.53–2.20; 1–28 days IRR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.70–1.90). No association between RVO and vaccination was found in subgroup analyses by type of vaccine, gender and age. Conclusions: This self-controlled case series found no evidence of an association between RVO and COVID-19 vaccination.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3000-3003
Number of pages4
JournalEye (London, England)
Volume37
Issue number14
Early online date2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2023

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