Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody-detection, and vaccination status in patients with ocular vascular occlusion.

Abstract

To analyze the annual prevalence of ocular vascular occlusion in relation to COVID-19 infection and vaccination status in a prospective study. All patients were examined for an active SARS-CoV-2 infection by RNA detection, for a previous infection by virus-specific antibody detection (ECLIA), their vaccination status was documented. Data from pandemic year 2020 and previous years, before COVID-19 (2019, 2018, 2017), were retrospectively analyzed. In 2021, a total of 103 patients with the first diagnosis of ocular vascular occlusion were treated. Most frequent sub-diagnoses were central retinal vein occlusion (20.4%), non-arteriitic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (18.4%), central retinal artery occlusion (13.6%) and branch retinal artery occlusion (12.6%). Thereof, only 3 patients (2.9%) presented with virus-specific SARS-CoV-2-antibodies, none was PCR-positive. Patients with preceded SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (59.2%) presented with comparable characteristics as unvaccinated patients with vascular occlusion regarding age, gender distribution, systemic risk factors, duration of symptoms, visual acuity and the present sub-diagnoses (p>0.05). The total number of cases in 2021 (103 cases) was comparable to the pandemic year 2020, at which no vaccination was available (114 cases), and to earlier years 2017, 2018, and 2019 without COVID pandemic (100, 120 and 119 cases). Furthermore, we did not reveal any differences between pandemic and reference years regarding patients' characteristics (p>0.05). Our study did not reveal an increased annual prevalence of ocular vascular occlusions during COVID-19 pandemic years 2020 and 2021. Patients with previous COVID vaccination did not present differences regarding the risk profile nor symptoms, compared to unvaccinated individuals.