Name
#162 Uveitis and Ophthalmic Vascular Events after SARS-CoV-2 Infection or COVID-19 Vaccination in Military Health System Beneficiaries
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Uniformed Services University
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care, Trending/Hot Topics or Other not listed
Learning Outcomes
1. Uveitis and ophthalmic vascular events were extremely rare following SARS-CoV-2 infection in MHS beneficiaries. No confirmed cases were identified after detailed clinical review, despite initial ICD-10 coding flags.
2. Uveitis and ophthalmic vascular events were extremely rare following COVID-19 vaccination in MHS beneficiaries. No confirmed cases were identified after detailed clinical review, despite initial ICD-10 coding flags.
3. These findings support the ocular safety of COVID-19 vaccination and emphasize the need for clinical adjudication rather than relying solely on electronic health record codes.
Session Currently Live
Description
Purpose: Uveitis and ophthalmic vascular events are both major causes of vision loss. Recent reports have noted that SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination may be associated with each of these ophthalmological disorders. However, the frequency of uveitis or ophthalmic vascular events after SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination in Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries remains unclear. We therefore sought to determine the risk of uveitis and ophthalmological vascular events within 30 days post SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination amongst MHS beneficiaries enrolled in the Epidemiology, Immunology, and Clinical Characteristics of Emerging Infectious Diseases with Pandemic Potential (EPICC) Cohort. Methods: The EPICC study enrolled MHS beneficiaries of all ages between 2020-2022 across ten U.S. military treatment facilities and an online pathway. Eligibility criteria included those tested for SARS-CoV-2 and those who received licensed COVID-19 vaccines. Study questionnaires, electronic medical record (EMR) data, MHS Data Repository (MDR), and additional swab PCR testing ascertained SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccine status. This analysis utilized ICD-10 codes from the MDR to screen for potential uveitis or ophthalmic vascular events within 30 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination, followed by further EMR abstraction and ophthalmologist adjudication to confirm diagnoses. Results: The EPICC study enrolled 7,911 MHS beneficiaries, of whom 64% were male, 75% were aged 18-44, 73% were active duty, and 79% with no major comorbidity. Among the study population, 5,398 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, of whom 52% were unvaccinated and 48% were vaccinated. One possible case of uveitis was identified based on ICD-10 codes in this group. Among 7,262 vaccinated individuals, of whom 67% had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 33% had no record of infection. Among this group, 4 possible cases of uveitis and one possible ophthalmic vascular events were identified based on ICD-10 codes. However, no confirmed cases of post-infection or post-vaccine uveitis or ophthalmological vascular events were identified based on chart abstraction and ophthalmological adjudication. Conclusions: These findings suggest that uveitis and ophthalmic vascular events are very rare amongst MHS beneficiaries with SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccine receipt; our results may be used in clinical prognostication as well as contributing to vaccine safety assessments. Our results further underscore that caution should be used in estimating post-infection risk and vaccine safety signals from EMR ICD-10 data without clinical adjudication of the medical records.