Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Secondary to the Inactive COVID-19 Vaccine-CoronaVac

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose To report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) secondary to the inactive Covid-19 vaccine. Methods The case of a 67-year-old man who presented with unilateral progressive vision-threatening PUK with nodular scleritis was reported. The results of clinical examinations with surgical and medical treatments were noted. Results The extended workup for autoimmune and infectious etiologies for PUK that all returned negative. The patient was treated with oral steroids, azathioprine, and topical cyclosporine with topical dexamethasone for his PUK and underlying possible immunopathology. Corneal amniotic membrane grafting was also performed 4 times and finally, the patient underwent penetrant keratoplasty for visual rehabilitation. Conclusions To our knowledge, we report the first case of PUK that is possible to secondary to an inactive vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. The inactive covid vaccine should be considered as an etiological agent in PUK cases where the standard workup is negative.