COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study

Objective: To evaluate the association between the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech<sup>®</sup>) coronavirus disease vaccine and new-onset anterior uveitis. Methods: A retrospective case control study of patients admitted and diagnosed with new-onset acute anterior uveitis, and matched controls...

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Main Authors: Asaf Shemer, Amit Toledano, Aya Altarescu, Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov, Assaf Rozenberg, Idan Hecht, Adi Einan-Lifshitz, Eran Pras
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Vaccines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/2/176
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author Asaf Shemer
Amit Toledano
Aya Altarescu
Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov
Assaf Rozenberg
Idan Hecht
Adi Einan-Lifshitz
Eran Pras
author_facet Asaf Shemer
Amit Toledano
Aya Altarescu
Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov
Assaf Rozenberg
Idan Hecht
Adi Einan-Lifshitz
Eran Pras
author_sort Asaf Shemer
collection DOAJ
description Objective: To evaluate the association between the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech<sup>®</sup>) coronavirus disease vaccine and new-onset anterior uveitis. Methods: A retrospective case control study of patients admitted and diagnosed with new-onset acute anterior uveitis, and matched controls admitted for other reasons (1:3 ratio), was completed. Rates of exposure to the BNT162b2 vaccine were compared between groups, and odds ratios for exposure to the vaccine were calculated. A secondary analysis of the overall number of patients with new-onset anterior uveitis in the six preceding years was conducted. This study was conducted in one academic center in Israel. Results: A total of 16 patients were admitted for acute anterior uveitis during the study period. Of the 16 cases, 11 (69%) received the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine prior to presentation and 8 (50%) also received the second dose. This compares to 39 (81.2%) in the control group. The odds ratio for exposure to the vaccine among cases was 0.508 (95% confidence interval 0.141–1.829, <i>p</i> = 0.300). Compared with preceding years, the rate of cases diagnosed with acute anterior uveitis in 2021 was similar to the six preceding years (mean 11.8 ± 3.4 cases). Conclusions: In this case control study and comparison with preceding years, we found no evidence to suggest an association between vaccination with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech<sup>®</sup>) COVID-19 vaccine and new-onset acute anterior uveitis.
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spelling doaj-art-47a1abfd2ead4dc589417ca8ade7176f2025-08-20T03:12:12ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2025-02-0113217610.3390/vaccines13020176COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control StudyAsaf Shemer0Amit Toledano1Aya Altarescu2Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov3Assaf Rozenberg4Idan Hecht5Adi Einan-Lifshitz6Eran Pras7Department of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shamir Medical Center (Formerly Assaf-Harofeh), Tzrifin 70300, IsraelObjective: To evaluate the association between the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech<sup>®</sup>) coronavirus disease vaccine and new-onset anterior uveitis. Methods: A retrospective case control study of patients admitted and diagnosed with new-onset acute anterior uveitis, and matched controls admitted for other reasons (1:3 ratio), was completed. Rates of exposure to the BNT162b2 vaccine were compared between groups, and odds ratios for exposure to the vaccine were calculated. A secondary analysis of the overall number of patients with new-onset anterior uveitis in the six preceding years was conducted. This study was conducted in one academic center in Israel. Results: A total of 16 patients were admitted for acute anterior uveitis during the study period. Of the 16 cases, 11 (69%) received the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine prior to presentation and 8 (50%) also received the second dose. This compares to 39 (81.2%) in the control group. The odds ratio for exposure to the vaccine among cases was 0.508 (95% confidence interval 0.141–1.829, <i>p</i> = 0.300). Compared with preceding years, the rate of cases diagnosed with acute anterior uveitis in 2021 was similar to the six preceding years (mean 11.8 ± 3.4 cases). Conclusions: In this case control study and comparison with preceding years, we found no evidence to suggest an association between vaccination with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech<sup>®</sup>) COVID-19 vaccine and new-onset acute anterior uveitis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/2/176COVID-19SARS-CoV-2coronavirusBNT162b2vaccineuveitis
spellingShingle Asaf Shemer
Amit Toledano
Aya Altarescu
Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov
Assaf Rozenberg
Idan Hecht
Adi Einan-Lifshitz
Eran Pras
COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
Vaccines
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus
BNT162b2
vaccine
uveitis
title COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
title_full COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
title_fullStr COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
title_full_unstemmed COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
title_short COVID-19 Vaccination and Acute Anterior Uveitis—A Case Control Study
title_sort covid 19 vaccination and acute anterior uveitis a case control study
topic COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus
BNT162b2
vaccine
uveitis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/2/176
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