Combined Central Retinal Artery and Vein Occlusion with Ischemic Optic Neuropathy After COVID-19 Vaccination

Sol Lee; Kamalesh K Sankhala; Swaraj Bose; Ron P Gallemore

doi:10.2147/IMCRJ.S328931

Combined Central Retinal Artery and Vein Occlusion with Ischemic Optic Neuropathy After COVID-19 Vaccination

Int Med Case Rep J. 2022 Jan 16:15:7-14. doi: 10.2147/IMCRJ.S328931. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Sol Lee¹, Kamalesh K Sankhala², Swaraj Bose³, Ron P Gallemore¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Research, Retina Macula Institute, Torrance, CA, USA.
² Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Beverly Hills, CA, USA.
³ NeuroOphthalmology & Orbital Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers, NeuroEyeOrbit Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

Purpose: To report a case of combined central retinal vein and artery occlusion that evolved into ischemic optic neuropathy following the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination.

Methods: Patient was followed with optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein angiography, and Humphrey visual field.

Results: Patient was able to recover vision from count fingers to 20/30 on a combination of aflibercept, steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, a diuretic (acetazolamide), antiplatelet agents (aspirin and pentoxifylline), and an anticoagulant (apixaban).

Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination may be associated with a myriad of sight-threatening ocular thrombotic conditions, which may respond to a combination of anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant therapies.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccine; NAION; Pfizer; vascular thrombosis.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

No grant support or funding was given.