Scientists have discovered that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can increase the risk of eye damage, leading to loss of vision.
The new study specifically investigated how the vaccine influenced the cornea of patients, the clear front part of the eye with which light can come in.
In 64 people, scientists in Turkey measured changes in the inner layer of the cornea, called the endothelium before they take the first Pfizer dose and two months after receiving the second.
Results revealed that taking both doses of the vaccine led to thicker cornea, fewer endothelial cells in the eye and more variation in the size of these specialized cells that form the endothelium.
In the short term, these changes suggest that the Pfizer vaccine can temporarily weaken the endothelium, although patients had no clear facial problems during the examination.
For people with healthy eyes, these small changes will probably not immediately affect eyesight.
However, if scientists believe that these changes take years, they can lead to swelling of the cornea or the blurry vision, especially in people with existing eye problems or people who have had a cornea transplant.
A thicker cornea and reduced cell density can contribute to eye conditions such as Corneaedema, bullous keratopathy or cornea -all -compensation, all of which can cause permanent loss of eyesight in severe cases, especially if they remain untreated.
Scientists have discovered a connection between the Pfizer Covid-19-vaccine and thickening of the cornea, the clear front part of the eye (stock image)
The researchers warned in the study, published on Wednesday in the magazine Ophthalmology: “The endothelium must be followed closely in people with a low number of endothelial count or who have had a cornea grave.”
An ophthalmologist can use a special microscope called Specular Microscopy to find out if someone has a low number of endothelial cells.
If you have a blurry view or eye discomfort, this test can also check whether the cells of your cornea are healthy.
A low count can be the result of aging, eye diseases such as the dystrophy of fuchs, eye operations, injuries or infections. These factors damage the cells that keep your cornea clear and they do not grow back.
In particular, the team discovered that the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine ensured that the cornea of a patient of 528 to 542 micrometers went into thickness, or approximately 0.0208 inch to 0.0213 inches. This is an approximately two percent increase in micrometers.
A slightly thicker cornea is not automatically harmful. The cornea can become temporarily thicker as a result of inflammation, liquid accumulation or stress on the endothelium of small diseases or injuries to the eyes.
However, if it remains too thick for months or years, it can make the cornea less clear, which makes it possible to affect the vision.
The team has not recommended against vaccination and still has to perform long -term tests on patients to see whether these changes continue to appear for months and years after making the shots.
The Pfizer-Biontech mrna Covid-19-vaccine (photo) is also bound by rare inflammatory heart conditions
The average number of endothelial cells, which keep the cornea clear by pumping away excess liquid, fell from 2,597 to 2,378 cells per square millimeter in the study, a loss of about eight percent.
Normal endothelial cells vary from 2,000 to 3,000 cells per square millimeter in healthy adults, so 2,378 is still within a safe reach for most people.
For someone with a low number of cells to start with, however, this loss can be riskier for their vision due to an earlier eye surgery, infection or illness.
Researchers also discovered that these cells became less uniform after vaccination, with their variation coefficient – the difference in the size of each cell – increasing from 39 to 42.
When cells die, cells in the neighborhood extend to fill the holes, leading to greater differences in size.
This can mean that the endothelium is less healthy. If this trend continued for years, this can influence the clarity of the cornea.
After vaccination, the study discovered that fewer cells held their healthy six -sided shape, with the total of 50 to 48 percent of the cells in the eye.
Healthy endothelial cells usually have the shape of hexagons, so that they can fit together firmly, such as a honeycomb.
Although the fall of two percent was not a direct sign of damage, it suggested the team that the cells may respond to a kind of stress during those two months to three months.
Researchers said their results also showed evidence that the changes had a high chance of being directly linked to taking the vaccine, which means that it was not just a random deviation in the test.
If the signs of stress and inflammation decrease shortly after receiving the Pfizer admission, the impact of these small changes would not be too harmful.
A woman undergoes an eye examination. Scientists have found several signs of stress after making the Pfizer Covid-19 recording (Stock Image)
To find these results, the team studied a total of 128 eyes, 64 couples, before each person received his Covid vaccinations.
They followed the group about 75 days after they received their second dose of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine.
The team used a machine called Sirius Cornea topography to measure the thickness and shape of the cornea, and another device, the Tomey EM-4000 Specular Microscope, to make detailed images of the endothelial cells to control their number, size and shape.
Each participant also did a full eye examination, including tests for visual acuity, eye pressure and scans of the front and rear parts of the eye to guarantee the overall health of the eyes.
By comparing the measurements taken before vaccination with those afterwards, the researchers could see whether the Pfizer -vaccine influenced the health of the eyes.
The new data on potentially harmful side effects linked to the COVID vaccine of Pfizer have been added to a growing list of concerns that the Trump administration has emphasized.
In May, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forced Pfizer and Moderna to use extensive warning labels about the risks of heart damage bound to COVID-19 vaccines.
The shots include warning labels about the rare chance that patients with myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis, inflammation of the pocket -like lining around the heart.
The new labels expanded that warning to certain age groups, in particular men between the ages of 16 and 25 years.
Researchers discovered that this seemingly healthy group seemed to be the highest risk of rare complications.
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