Retinal occlusion and spike proteins

While it’s accurate to say that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can damage blood vessels, causing a condition called vascular leak, it does so in conjunction with the virus in its entirety and is not correlated with vaccination.

The paper cited in the tweet used retrospective data and looked at the incidence of retinal vascular occlusion (RVO) for two years post-vaccination. Several limitations were noted, including the concern that underprivileged populations, who are also more likely to be unvaccinated, are also less likely to seek care. Additionally, rates of COVID infection weren’t accounted for, and RVO is a known complication of COVID infection. Another study, following over 3 million people who received an mRNA COVID vaccine, found an RVO incidence of 0.003%, a rate similar to other vaccinations. No evidence of an association between newly-diagnosed RVO and COVID vaccination was found.

The original study highlighted in the tweet ends its conclusions with: “The number of reported ophthalmic complications has remained low, and vaccine-related retinal vascular occlusion is very rare, although the number of COVID-19 vaccinations is enormous…We recommend that individuals without a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19.”