The eye of the storm: COVID-19 vaccination and the eye

The COVID-19 pandemic has galvanized the global response towards the development of new vaccines based on novel technologies at an unprecedented pace. Since the widespread implementation of vaccination campaigns, case reports on vaccines' systemic side effects, including ocular manifestations, have emerged. Since administered vaccines are generally not able to cause the disease in the recipient, or induce an immune response against the pathogen, we hypothesize that the development of ocular phenomena post-COVID-19 vaccination may occur via an immune response elicited by the vaccine. Of many, the most common ocular adverse events include facial nerve palsy, central venous sinus thrombosis and acute anterior uveitis. These COVID-19 vaccine-induced ocular (CVIO) adverse events could resemble the ocular findings in some of the COVID-19 patients. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of published ocular side effects potentially associated with COVID-19 vaccination and serve as a springboard for further research into CVIO adverse events.Ophthalmic researc

Ocular adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has galvanized the development of new vaccines at an unprecedented pace. Since the widespread implementation of vaccination campaigns, reports of ocular adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccinations have emerged. This review summarizes ocular adverse effects possibly associated with COVID-19 vaccination, and discusses their clinical characteristics and management. Methods Narrative Literature Review. Results Ocular adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccinations include facial nerve palsy, abducens nerve palsy, acute macular neuroretinopathy, central serous retinopathy, thrombosis, uveitis, multiple evanescent white dot syndrome, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease reactivation, and new-onset Graves' Disease. Studies in current literature are primarily retrospective case series or isolated case reports - these are inherently weak in establishing association or causality. Nevertheless, the described presentations resemble the reported ocular manifestations of the COVID-19 disease itself. Hence, we hypothesize that the human body's immune response to COVID-19 vaccinations may be involved in the pathogenesis of the ocular adverse effects post-COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusion Ophthalmologists and generalists should be aware of the possible, albeit rare, ocular adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccination.Ophthalmic researc

Community-based cardiovascular Risk Factors Intervention Strategies (CORFIS) in managing hypertension: A pragmatic non-randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the number one cardiovascular risk factor in Malaysia. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Community-Based Cardiovascular Risk Factors Intervention Strategies (CORFIS) in the management of hypertension in primary care. METHODS: This is a pragmatic, non-randomized controlled trial. Seventy general practitioners (GPs) were selected to provide either CORFIS (44 GPs) or conventional care (26 GPs) for 6 months. A total of 486 hypertensive patients were recruited; 309 were in the intervention and 177 in the control groups. Primary outcome was the proportion of hypertensive patients who achieved target blood pressure (BP) of <140/90mmHg (for those without diabetes mellitus) and <130/80mmHg (with diabetes mellitus). Secondary outcomes include change in the mean/median BP at 6-month as compared to baseline. RESULTS: The proportion of hypertensive patients who achieved target BP at 6-month was significantly higher in the CORFIS arm (69.6) as compared to the control arm (57.6), P=0.008. Amongst those who had uncontrolled BP at baseline, the proportion who achieved target BP at 6-month was also significantly higher in the CORFIS arm (56.6) as compared to the control arm (34.1), p<0.001. There was no difference in the patients who had already achieved BP control at baseline. There were significant reductions in SBP in the CORFIS arm (median -9.0mmHg; -60 to 50) versus control (median -2mmHg; -50 to 48), p=0.003; as well as in DBP (CORFIS arm: median -6.0mmHg; ranged from -53 to 30 versus control arm: median 0.0mmHg; ranged from -42 to 30), p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received CORFIS care demonstrated significant improvements in achieving target BP

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F-ROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that F-ROH is significantly associated (p <0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: F-ROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44-66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of F-ROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in F-ROH is independent of all environmental confounding.Peer reviewe

Electrophysiological findings in patients with dengue-related maculopathy

10.1001/archopht.124.10.1421Archives of Ophthalmology124101421-142

Pharmacokinetic and Toxicity Study of an Intraocular Cyclosporine DDS in the Anterior Segment of Rabbit Eyes

10.1167/iovs.02-1112Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science44114895-4899IOVS

Evolving Consensus of International Uveitis Study Group, Intraocular Inflammation Society, and Foster Ocular Inflammation Society with Uveitis in the Time of COVID-19 Infection

This document summarizes the experience of the International Uveitis Study Group (IUSG), the Intraocular Inflammation Society (IOIS) and the Foster Ocular Inflammation Society (FOIS) and can aid as a guide for the treatment of uveitis patients in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.Ophthalmic researc

Aqueous Cytokine Changes Associated with Posner-Schlossman Syndrome with and without Human Cytomegalovirus

10.1371/journal.pone.0044453PLoS ONE79e4445

Evolving Consensus Experience of the IUSG-IOIS-FOIS with Uveitis in the Time of COVID-19 Infection

This document summarizes the experience of the International Uveitis Study Group (IUSG), the Intraocular Inflammation Society (IOIS), and the Foster Ocular Inflammation Society (FOIS) and can aid as a guide for the treatment of uveitis patients in the era of COVID-19 pandemic.Ophthalmic researc