Isolated abducens nerve palsy following AstraZeneca vaccine: A case report

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 infected millions of individuals globally. Despite the recent clearance of several medications, effective and safe COVID-19 vaccinations are still urgently needed, not only to prevent the disease from spreading but also to restore social and economic activity through mass vaccination. We present a case of a 72-year-old female who presented with sudden right abducens nerve palsy after receiving the 2nd dose of booster vaccine following the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Because of the temporal association between vaccination and abducens nerve palsy, they assumed her vaccine caused it. The onset of symptoms, the absence of any prior medical conditions, and normal magnetic resonance imaging. This case highlights the importance of determining whether a COVID-19 vaccine could generate neurologic side effects similar to those found with the virus and previous vaccinations.