Blood clots in the eyes after COVID-19 vaccination

More evidence of harm

A study that should have gotten more attention

An interesting paper came out in May 2023: Risk assessment of retinal vascular occlusion after COVID-19 vaccination

It was based on a study that looked at “the risk of retinal vascular occlusion after COVID-19 vaccination.”

“Retinal vascular occlusion” is any kind of blood clot that blocks the blood vessels connected to the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue in the eye. It can lead to visual disturbances or even loss of vision.

Image from here.

The study looked at 739,066 vaccinated individuals, matched with the same number of unvaccinated individuals.

Results

Here’s what they found:

The risk of retinal vascular occlusion increased significantly after the first and second doses of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 in a 2-year period.

Specifically:

The overall risk of retinal vascular occlusion in the vaccinated cohort was 2.19 times higher than that in the unvaccinated cohort at 2 years (95% Cl 2.00–2.39).

Got that? The overall risk was 2.19 times higher in the vaccinated, compared to the unvaccinated. Why are we not hearing more about this in the news?

From Fig. 4. Kaplan-Meier curves showing cumulative incidence of retinal vascular occlusion and its subtypes in 2 years. A) retinal vascular occlusion, B) branch retinal artery occlusion, C) branch retinal vein occlusion, D) central retinal artery occlusion, E) central retinal vein occlusion.

They did not see much difference between BNT162b2 (Pfizer) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) recipients. As for the Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen) vaccine, “the risk of retinal vascular occlusion was elevated following the first dose” but “the risk was not significant.”

Corroborating evidence

There are plenty of case reports that corroborate the findings of this study:

Branch retinal vein occlusion after messenger RNA-Based COVID-19 vaccine

Central retinal vein occlusion following the first dose of COVID vaccine

Retinal venous occlusion following COVID-19 vaccination: report of a case after third dose and review of the literature

Branch retinal vein occlusion in a healthy young man following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Central retinal artery occlusion following COVID-19 vaccine administration

Retinal vein occlusion following COVID-19 vaccination

Retinal vein occlusion following two doses of mRNA-1237 (Moderna) immunization for SARS-Cov-2: a case report

Central retinal vein occlusion after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination: a case report

Central retinal vein occlusion post-COVID-19 vaccination

Retinal vascular events after mRNA and adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccines-a case series

Retinal artery/vein occlusion complicating SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations

Central retinal vein occlusion following BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccine

Phenotypic appearance of central retinal vein occlusion post AstraZeneca vaccine

Uveitis and Other Ocular Complications Following COVID-19 Vaccination

Exacerbation of branch retinal vein occlusion post SARS-CoV2 vaccination

Combined central retinal artery and vein occlusion shortly after mRNA-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

Central retinal vein occlusion occurring immediately after 2nd dose of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

By no means is this an exhaustive list.

What’s the true rate at which harm occurs?

This study only looked at people who were in a certain health database, so it would only include people who reported or received care from one of the “participating healthcare organizations.”

So the rate at which retinal vascular occlusion occurs, is likely higher than what was reported here, for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. This study acknowledges that, by saying that “retinal vascular occlusion with no or mild symptoms may not be noted.”

It’s therefore quite possible that for every reported case of visual disturbances following vaccination, there were many more who experienced disturbances that were too subtle to realize or connect to vaccination.

Why would such subtle disturbances matter? Well, as far as we know, retinal cells do not regenerate. So even “minor” occlusions that are not immediately noticeable, could lead to eyesight degenerating faster than it otherwise would have.

Have you, or anyone you know, experienced any changes in vision after vaccination? If so, leave a comment below.