Unilateral Optic Neuritis After Vaccination Against the Coronavirus Disease: Two Case Reports

Background: Due to the emergence of COVID-19, many countries have started mass immunization programs. To date, no cases of optic neuritis following COVID-19 vaccination have been reported in the literature.

Case Presentation: Objective: Here, we report 2 cases of unilateral optic neuritis after vaccination against COVID-19 using the Sinopharm vaccine (Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd, China).

Design: The clinical history, examination, and test findings of two individuals with unilateral optic neuritis associated with the timing of COVID-19 vaccination were described and further analyzed.

Setting: Two patients developed optic neuritis after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. One patient developed optic neuritis 6 weeks after the first dose and 3 weeks after the second dose. The other patient developed optic neuritis 3 weeks after the first dose.

Participants: Two female patients, aged 21 and 39 years.

Result: The patients were successfully treated with intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Both patients had typical manifestations of optic neuritis and their visual acuity recovered fully after treatment. The second of these patients was positive for anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG).

Conclusion: Optic neuritis is a potential adverse effect after vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).