Shocking Study Finds mRNA Vaccine Linked to Blindness: Blind Panic or Genuine Concern?
The study is scientifically sound, but it left unresolved issues involving its mechanistic basis, unmeasured confounders, and effect size.
Last month, a dreadful study was published in the reputable journal NPJ Vaccines, titled “Risk assessment of retinal vascular occlusion after COVID-19 vaccination.” Using a database comprising over 6 million patient data, the study uncovered a 2.19-fold increased risk of retinal vascular occlusion after getting the mRNA vaccine compared to no vaccination.
Retinal vascular occlusion (RVO) is the second leading cause of visual loss. It happens when blood vessels behind the eye get blocked due to vascular inflammation, damaged vascular walls, or blood clots. Risk factors for RVO include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.
Given that Covid vaccines have been infamously linked to vascular issues, could this study be another blow to the safety reputation of Covid vaccines? The answer is not clear-cut. It depends on how you interpret the study. But contrary to the claims of anti-vaccine alarmists, this study doesn’t mean people are going blind from the mRNA vaccine everywhere.
