bilateral optic neuritis after administration of inactivated covid-19 vaccine: a case report

Background: since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, various efforts have been taken to alleviate the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sarscov2). studies have shown effective prevention and protection through vaccination. however, there have also been reports of neurologic diseases after vaccination. case presentation: the first case in the philippines belonged to a 25-year-old female who initially sought a consult for the increased sleeping time associated with retrograde amnesia immediately after receiving her second dose of inactivated sars-cov-2 vaccine. she was then managed as a case of viral encephalitis. however, two weeks later, the patient developed a bilateral decline in visual acuity. diagnostics included visual perimetry, routine eeg, contrastenhanced cranial mri, and visual evoked potentials. the patient was then managed as a case of bilateral optic neuritis and was started on pulse methylprednisolone for 3 days with noted gradual but incomplete reversal of the condition. conclusion: autoimmune neurologic events after covid-19 vaccination are treatable, and the benefits of the vaccination outweigh its risk.