A Rare Side Effect of COVID-19 Vaccination: Abducens Nerve Palsy

Bilateral Sequential Abducens Nerve Palsy After Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2): A Case Report and Literature Review

“…To date, billions of people worldwide have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are, however, only nine reported cases of the COVID-19 vaccine causing isolated abducens palsy [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. However, none of the previous cases reported bilateral abducens nerve palsy.…”

“…A 15-year retrospective study identified the most common causes of abducens palsy to be undetermined (26%), hypertension alone (19%), coexistent hypertension and diabetes (12%), trauma (12%), multiple sclerosis (7%), neoplasm (5%), diabetes alone (4%), cerebrovascular accident (4%), post-neurosurgery (3%), aneurysm (2%), and others (8%) [6]. A few cases of abducens nerve palsy were reported after COVID-19 vaccination [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]; however, bilateral abducens palsy was not previously reported in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral sequential abducens nerve palsy after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) and a review of the previously published cases.…”

Bilateral Sequential Abducens Nerve Palsy After Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2): A Case Report and Literature Review

“…To date, billions of people worldwide have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are, however, only nine reported cases of the COVID-19 vaccine causing isolated abducens palsy [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. However, none of the previous cases reported bilateral abducens nerve palsy.…”

“…A 15-year retrospective study identified the most common causes of abducens palsy to be undetermined (26%), hypertension alone (19%), coexistent hypertension and diabetes (12%), trauma (12%), multiple sclerosis (7%), neoplasm (5%), diabetes alone (4%), cerebrovascular accident (4%), post-neurosurgery (3%), aneurysm (2%), and others (8%) [6]. A few cases of abducens nerve palsy were reported after COVID-19 vaccination [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]; however, bilateral abducens palsy was not previously reported in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral sequential abducens nerve palsy after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) and a review of the previously published cases.…”

Efferent neuro-ophthalmic complications of coronavirus disease 2019

“…Neuro-ophthalmological complications related to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination have only rarely been reported despite the fact that as of this writing, in the Unites States, 67% of individuals have been vaccinated at least twice. At least six cases of abducens palsy have been reported in association with vaccination [102][103][104][105][106], accompanied in one case by oculomotor, trigeminal and facial palsy [107]. Several cases of oculomotor palsy have been reported [108,109], with the authors of one case attributing a lack of recurrence to changing the site and brand [110].…”

Bilateral Sequential Abducens Nerve Palsy After Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2): A Case Report and Literature Review

“…To date, billions of people worldwide have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are, however, only nine reported cases of the COVID-19 vaccine causing isolated abducens palsy [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. However, none of the previous cases reported bilateral abducens nerve palsy.…”

“…A 15-year retrospective study identified the most common causes of abducens palsy to be undetermined (26%), hypertension alone (19%), coexistent hypertension and diabetes (12%), trauma (12%), multiple sclerosis (7%), neoplasm (5%), diabetes alone (4%), cerebrovascular accident (4%), post-neurosurgery (3%), aneurysm (2%), and others (8%) [6]. A few cases of abducens nerve palsy were reported after COVID-19 vaccination [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]; however, bilateral abducens palsy was not previously reported in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral sequential abducens nerve palsy after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) and a review of the previously published cases.…”

Efferent neuro-ophthalmic complications of coronavirus disease 2019

“…Neuro-ophthalmological complications related to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination have only rarely been reported despite the fact that as of this writing, in the Unites States, 67% of individuals have been vaccinated at least twice. At least six cases of abducens palsy have been reported in association with vaccination [102][103][104][105][106], accompanied in one case by oculomotor, trigeminal and facial palsy [107]. Several cases of oculomotor palsy have been reported [108,109], with the authors of one case attributing a lack of recurrence to changing the site and brand [110].…”

Bilateral Sequential Abducens Nerve Palsy After Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2): A Case Report and Literature Review

“…To date, billions of people worldwide have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are, however, only nine reported cases of the COVID-19 vaccine causing isolated abducens palsy [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. However, none of the previous cases reported bilateral abducens nerve palsy.…”

“…A 15-year retrospective study identified the most common causes of abducens palsy to be undetermined (26%), hypertension alone (19%), coexistent hypertension and diabetes (12%), trauma (12%), multiple sclerosis (7%), neoplasm (5%), diabetes alone (4%), cerebrovascular accident (4%), post-neurosurgery (3%), aneurysm (2%), and others (8%) [6]. A few cases of abducens nerve palsy were reported after COVID-19 vaccination [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]; however, bilateral abducens palsy was not previously reported in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral sequential abducens nerve palsy after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) and a review of the previously published cases.…”

Efferent neuro-ophthalmic complications of coronavirus disease 2019

“…Neuro-ophthalmological complications related to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination have only rarely been reported despite the fact that as of this writing, in the Unites States, 67% of individuals have been vaccinated at least twice. At least six cases of abducens palsy have been reported in association with vaccination [102][103][104][105][106], accompanied in one case by oculomotor, trigeminal and facial palsy [107]. Several cases of oculomotor palsy have been reported [108,109], with the authors of one case attributing a lack of recurrence to changing the site and brand [110].…”