ZIKA VIRUS

Ocular examination of infants with congenital microcephaly presumably related to maternal Zika virus infection reveals that about 30% of these babies have fundus abnormalities, reported Mauricio Maia, MD, PhD, at WOC2016 in Guadalajara, Mexico

Dr. Maia, and his research team at Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, examined 282 eyes of 141 newborns with microcephaly born to mothers thought to have Zika virus infection during pregnancy. They documented four major types of fundus lesions: atrophic chorioretinal changes at the macula; atrophic chorioretinal changes outside the macula; atrophic optic nerve changes with increased excavation of the nerve and optic disc hypoplasia without IOP elevation; and mottling of the macula similar to retinal pigment epithelium defects.

Further study is ongoing, including an attempt to correlate the ocular findings in the newborns with gestational age at the time of maternal infection and a prospective evaluation of pregnant woman with documented Zika virus infection.

Dr. Maia told EuroTimes that the finding of ocular lesions in these infants is an important issue for the public health system worldwide and the ophthalmology community.

“Zika virus infection is a new and possibly pandemic disease. Children with microcephaly presumed related to maternal Zika virus infection should undergo an ocular examination, and if these lesions are found, they should receive early visual stimulation with the aim of giving them the best possible vision in the future,” he said.