A Toxic Anterior Segment Syndrome-like Ocular Inflammatory Reaction after COVID-19 Vaccination

Purpose: We report a case with bilateral, ocular inflammatory adverse reactions developing a few hours after COVID-19 vaccination. Case summary: A 70-year-old woman complained of headache and sudden visual impairment (both eyes) a few hours after COVID-19 vaccination (Astrazeneca). She had undergone bilateral cataract surgery 4 days before vaccination and her eyesight was good immediately after surgery. The best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA) were 0.2 and 0.1 in the right and left eyes, respectively. Diffuse corneal edema, anterior chamber reactions, inflammatory fibrinoid membranes on the anterior surfaces of the intraocular lenses (IOLs), and cystoid macular edema were observed in both eyes. The anterior chamber and IOL fibrinoid reactions much improved 7 days after the prescription of topical and oral corticosteroids. The aqueous humor polymerase chain reaction was positive for varicella zoster virus (VZV) in both eyes. The BCVA improved to 20/30 in the right eye and 20/50 in the left eye after 3 months of additional treatment. However, the cystoid macular edema did not improve. Conclusions: In patients with a history of herpes zoster infection, adverse ocular inflammatory reactions associated with VZV may occur immediately after COVID-19 vaccination.