Scientists from New Zealand have uncovered the first case of a rare eye disease linked to both the COVID-19 vaccine and the virus itself, a new study published in the Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection reveals.
A 28-year-old otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) after complaining of vision problems just two days after receiving her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The woman’s symptoms included dark blind spots, phantom light flashes, and overall decreased vision—all specific to her right eye.
According to the study, doctors discovered that the vision in her right eye went from 20/20 to 20/50. In addition, her eye tissue was torn, optic nerves were swollen, and multiple pale-colored lesions were scattered throughout the back of her eye.
After three months and without treatment, vision in her right eye returned to normal, and all other symptoms subsided.
One year later, the woman showed similar symptoms and was once again diagnosed with MEWDS, only this time in the left eye. Symptoms emerged seven days after she tested positive for COVID-19, leading researchers to suspect a link between the two events.
Similar to the first instance, no treatment was required, and symptoms resolved after nine months.
What Is MEWDS?
According to the study, MEWDS dates back to 1984 and is considered an idiopathic inflammatory disease of the outer retina that occurs spontaneously and without concrete explanation. It is thought to be an autoimmune response.
It often occurs in young, myopic women, with a mean age of 28. However, it is also seen among people over 65.
MEWDS patients may have flu-like early symptoms that include:
- Visual disturbances such as flashes of light.
- Sudden, painless decline in central acuity in one eye.
- Partial color blindness.
It can be bilateral in some cases.
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