Age: 60.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Blindness, Blindness unilateral, Illness, Retinal detachment, Retinal tear
Clinical narrative: large left horseshoe tear on the retina in the left/tear on the right retina/small tear right eye; detached retina on the left; vision loss/can't see at all/thought he was going blind; streaks of lightening; section of vision lost in the left eye; Posterior Vitreous Detachment; floaters; sick; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer (patient wife). A 60-years-old male patient received BNT162B2 (PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 MRNA VACCINE, Solution for injection) dose 1 via an unspecified route of administration on 06Jan2021 (Lot Number: EJ1685, expiry date not reported) as single dose; and dose 2 via an unspecified route of administration on 29Jan2021 (lot Number: EL8982, expiry date not reported) as single dose; for covid-19 immunization. Medical history included eye surgery (he already had surgery once) from an unknown date and unknown if ongoing. The patient's concomitant medications were not reported. Patient received first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on 06Jan2021 then on 29Jan2021 the 2nd dose. He experienced side effects: floaters on 06Jan2021, and streaks of lightening then vision loss on 15Mar2021. There was a large left horseshoe tear on the retina in the left and a detached retina on the left and a tear on the right retina on 19Mar2021. He already had surgery once. He will have 2nd surgery on the other eye. Reporter reported a follow up.  He can't see at all. He was recovering and has to lay on face for 2 weeks. Reporter stated she read about retina problems related to the virus but not to the vaccine, could not find information. Patient was a retail pharmacist. He deals with customers and several customers stated they had vision problems with the vaccine: double vision, loss of sight. "There was a problem out there, but maybe they were not reporting it took reporter 2 hours to report so they may not have the time to sit there to report". Reporter knew they can't prove it was the vaccine that caused it. Reporter don't believe in coincidences. It seemed quite obvious to them it's related to the vaccine. Reporter appreciated all the help and stated they didn't have all the answers.  Reporter sure it was the vaccine because it was within hours after the first vaccine, but since there was no information regarding the sight problems related to the vaccine patient didn't think about it. Then the floaters got worse and started to block his vision, after the 2nd vaccine it was dramatically; within hours it was worse. He's never been sick in 36 years (2021). Patient hoped no one else has to deal with what he has to deal with. Patient also reported that on 10Feb2021, patient had section of vision lost in the left eye. It was then reported that patient was well versed in the virus and the vaccine. He was unable to speak on the phone at this time as he was recovering from surgery. Patient received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID 19 vaccine on 6Jan2021 and right away began seeing hundreds of floaters. He didn't correlate it to the vaccine but it didn't go away. Then he received the second dose of the vaccine on 29Jan2021 and within hours he thought he was going blind. He went to an optometrist 01Feb2021 who sloughed off the idea of it being related to the vaccine and diagnosed him with Posterior Vitreous Detachment. It was previously reported to Pfizer when he got the diagnosis of the PVD and all the events mentioned were previously reported. Reporter stated that from that day on the floaters got larger; the around 15Mar2021 he noticed every time he bent over he saw streaks of lightning; and he started to have a black hole, a loss of about 20% of his field of vision in the left eye. He went to another local optometrist 19Mar2021, who saw a large horseshoe tear in on left retina; and a detached left retina. The local optometrist sent him to a specialist and who verified the tear and the detachment and said the other retina in the right eye also has a small tear. Patient then had eye surgery, Monday at 0700AM, 22Mar2021 by outpatient surgery, to drain the fluid in his eye; insert a gas bubble and a silicone band to repair the retina; and did laser surgery on the tear. The specialist advised that the surgery damages the lens so he will need the lens replaced in the future. Now her patient has to lay down with his face down for 23 hours a day for two weeks and take 6-8 weeks off work. He had a doctor's visit yesterday and the doctor seemed satisfied with his progress but he can't see out of the eye, everything was cloudy so he doesn't know if the floaters are gone or the eye sight is recovered yet. The doctor was planning to do the right eye tear repair on Thursday 25Mar2021. Reporter had searched online to see if other people have this, but she can't seem to get the stories online about problems with the retina and the vaccine. She wanted this to be known and documented. Reporter was asking if company have information about if other people have had this. As per reporter, the events were not serious. Therapeutic measures were taken as a result of the events reported. The patient required physician's office visit for the events reported. The patient had not recovered from section of vision lost in the left eye, large left horseshoe tear on the retina in the left/tear on the right retina/small tear right eye, detached retina on the left, and floaters. The outcome of the other events reported was unknown.