Eye Disease 'White Dot Syndrome' Confirmed Following COVID-19 Vaccination: 'Indian Journal of Ophthalmology'

Occurred mostly in patients "without any previous history of a similar event in the past," according to the new study.

A new study published Monday in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology confirms both new-onset as well as reactivation of ‘multiple evanescent white dot syndrome’ (MEWDS), an inflammatory eye condition that affects the retina, occurring after COVID-19 vaccination.

The study notes the “increase in the literature” regarding new-onset eye disorders and reactivation of previously diagnosed cases “following COVID-19 vaccinations.”

“The COVID-19 vaccination has been speculated to trigger an immunomodulatory shift in recipients, resulting in an autoimmune event,” it explains.

The study analyzed MEWDS following COVID-19 vaccination that were reported in 31 patients.

Disease onset was most commonly observed following the first dose, affecting 15 patients.

Onset was least common after the booster dose, only pertaining to one patient.

In the majority (16) of cases, MEWDS-like disease following anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations was reported after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination (BNT162b2 mRNA).

Significantly, most of these cases occurred in patients without a history of the disease.

“Most of these cases had Primary MEWDS without any previous history of a similar event in the past,” the authors confirm.

The doctors’ affiliations include:

• Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

• Department of Uveitis and Ocular Immunology Services, Narayana Nethralaya, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

• Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE

• Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

• Department of Ophthalmology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands