COVID-19 Vaccine–Associated Uveitis in Patients With a History of Uveitis

Abstract

Understanding the potential risk of uveitis recurrence after COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with a history of uveitis is crucial for vaccination strategies and clinical monitoring. To investigate the risk of uveitis recurrence after COVID-19 vaccination in a cohort of individuals with a history of uveitis. This retrospective population-based cohort study included individuals diagnosed with uveitis between January 1, 2015, and February 25, 2021, in South Korea. After excluding individuals without COVID-19 vaccination or with SARS-CoV-2 infection, individuals with a history of uveitis who had received at least 1 dose of a messenger RNA (BNT162b2 [Pfizer-BioNTech] or mRNA-1273 [Moderna]) or adenovirus vector-based (ChAdOx1 [AstraZeneca] or Ad26.COV2.S [Janssen]) COVID-19 vaccine were included. Data were analyzed from February 26, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Demographic and clinical data, along with vaccination details, were retrieved from the Korean National Health Insurance Service and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency databases. Outcomes of interest were incidence and risk of postvaccination uveitis in association with different COVID-19 vaccines and periods before and after COVID-19 vaccination. Uveitis was categorized by onset (early, within 30 days, or delayed) and type (anterior or nonanterior). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated to evaluate the risk of uveitis following COVID-19 vaccination, stratified according to vaccine type and vaccination period. Of 543 737 individuals with history of uveitis, 473 934 individuals (mean [SD] age, 58.9 [17.4] years; 243 127 [51.3] female) had documented COVID-19 vaccination and were included in analysis. The cumulative incidence of postvaccination uveitis was 8.6% at 3 months, 12.5% at 6 months, and 16.8% at 1 year, predominantly of the anterior type. Variations in the risk of postvaccination uveitis were observed across different vaccines and intervaccination periods. The risk of early postvaccination uveitis was increased for individuals receiving the BNT162b2 (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.52-1.86), mRNA-1273 (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.21-1.89), ChAdOx1 (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.43-1.79), and Ad26.COV2.S (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.40-3.07) vaccines. The risk of uveitis was higher particularly between the first and second vaccination doses (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.55-1.73). These findings suggest that there was an elevated risk of uveitis following COVID-19 vaccination, with the vaccine type and period mediating this risk. For individuals with a history of uveitis, clinicians should consider the potential risk of uveitis recurrence in vaccination strategies and clinical monitoring.