Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 28, 2025 1 hour, 53 minutes ago
Medical News: A Closer Look at a Post Vaccine Eye Condition
Doctors and researchers from Colombia and Ecuador have reported a rare but important medical observation involving the eyes and thyroid gland following COVID-19 vaccination. The condition is known as thyroid eye disease, a disorder that causes swelling and inflammation around the eyes and is usually linked to thyroid problems. While COVID-19 vaccines are proven to be safe and lifesaving for millions, this new case series highlights the need for awareness of uncommon reactions in certain individuals.
Rare eye inflammation linked to COVID-19 vaccines highlights importance of
early symptom awareness.
This
Medical News report is based on a detailed case series published by researchers from several institutions including Clínica Imbanaco Grupo QuirónSalud in Cali Colombia, Universidad Libre in Cali Colombia, Universidad del Valle in Cali Colombia, Universidad de Caldas in Manizales Colombia, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Cali Colombia, Universidad de las Américas in Quito Ecuador, and associated clinical research centers.
What Is Thyroid Eye Disease in Simple Terms
Thyroid eye disease, also known as Graves orbitopathy, is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks tissues around the eyes. This can cause bulging eyes, eye pain, swelling of eyelids, redness, headaches, and in severe cases, vision problems. It often occurs in people who already have thyroid disorders, especially autoimmune thyroid diseases.
Who Were the Patients in This Study?
The researchers described five women between the ages of 27 and 69. All of them developed eye related symptoms between three and twenty days after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines included both mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna and adenovirus-based vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Janssen.
Three of the women already had known thyroid problems like hypothyroidism or multinodular goiter. The remaining two had no previous thyroid diagnosis before vaccination.
Symptoms That Appeared After Vaccination
The women experienced a wide range of symptoms. These included eye pain, bulging of one or both eyes, headaches, neck pain, fever, tremors, fatigue, low mood, and swelling of the thyroid gland. In some cases, imaging scans showed enlargement of eye muscles and clear signs of inflammation behind the eyes.
Blood tests revealed abnormal thyroid hormone levels and high levels of thyroid related antibodies, which are signs that the immune system was involved.
How Serious Were the Cases?
The severity ranged from mild to severe. Two women developed moderate to severe thyroid eye disease and required strong intravenous steroid treatment. The remaining three had milder disease and were treated with selenium supplements and adjustments to their thyroid medications.
Most patients showed improvement within three m
onths, especially those who received steroid therapy. However, some continued to have mild eye bulging even after treatment.
Possible Explanation Behind the Reaction
The researchers believe that COVID-19 vaccines may strongly activate the immune system. In people who already have hidden or existing thyroid autoimmunity, this immune activation may trigger inflammation in the eyes. The vaccines do not directly cause the disease but may act as a trigger in vulnerable individuals.
Importantly, the study emphasizes that this reaction is rare and does not outweigh the massive benefits of COVID-19 vaccination.
What This Means for The Public
Doctors are encouraged to pay attention to new eye pain, swelling, or vision changes after vaccination, especially in people with known thyroid disorders. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve outcomes and reduce long term complications.
Final Conclusions
This study shows that thyroid eye disease can appear shortly after COVID-19 vaccination in rare cases, particularly among women with existing or previously undiagnosed autoimmune thyroid conditions. While vaccination remains extremely safe and essential, early recognition of unusual eye and thyroid symptoms allows timely care, better recovery, and improved quality of life for affected individuals.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/14/1/37
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Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/vaccine-news
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