Recurrent uveitis following influenza vaccination

The objectives of this study were to investigate the possibility that influenza vaccination is a cause of recurrent uveitis in patients with a history of pre-existing ocular inflammatory disease. The methodology was a retrospective case series, and the study was carried out in an ophthalmology outpatient private practice. Four female patients (aged 51 to 77) with a history of idiopathic uveitis or uveitis as a result of complicated cataract surgery were included in the study. Results demonstrated that all four patients had a common experience of uveitis (idiopathic or postoperative) that had been quiescent for months to years. All four patients had been administered vaccinations for influenza in the period of one to four weeks before the most recent episode of uveitis. All of the patients responded well to either topical or topical and systemic anti-inflammatory medications. We have concluded that influenza vaccination may act as a nonspecific stimulus of the immune system and, thereby, reactivate uveitis.