Necrosis of uveal melanoma post-COVID-19 vaccination

• DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_3040_21
• Publication Date: 2022-05-11T10:53:23Z
• Authors: Ajeet M. Wagle; Bing Cheng Wu; Lingam Gopal; Gangadhara Sundar
• Keywords: Ophthalmology; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; necrotic melanoma; covid-19 vaccination; Case Report; spontaneous necrosis; uveal melanoma; RE1-994

A 49-year-old Indian male presented with rapidly progressive vision loss 1 day after receiving the second dose of BNT162b2 mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, NY, USA). The eye had secondary angle closure glaucoma, bullous retinal detachment, and massive intraocular hemorrhage. Ultrasound showed an ill-defined subretinal mass with moderate internal reflectivity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed an enhancing heterogeneous subretinal mass. Histopathology showed a necrotic melanocytic lesion arising from the posterior edge of the ciliary body and choroid. Necrotic uveal melanoma was confirmed after expert histopathology opinion. Uveal melanomas can rarely present with tumor necrosis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.