Abstract
Purpose :
To describe the visual impairment associated with ocular and neurological abnormalities in a cohort of children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS).
Methods :
This prospective cross-sectional study included infants with microcephaly born in Pernambuco, Brazil, May to December 2015. Immunoglobulin M antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the Zika virus (ZIKV) on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples was positive for all infants. Clinical evaluation consisted of comprehensive ophthalmologic examination including functional vision assessment, neurologic exam, and neuroimaging.
Results :
Thirty-two infants (mean age at exam 5.7 ± 0.9 months [range, 4.5 to 7.4 months]) were included in the study, from which 18 were male (56.3%). Visual function could not be tested in one (3.1%) of the 32 infants. Visual impairment, including nonattainment of visual milestones, was detected in 30 of the 31 infants (96.8%). Ocular findings were observed in 14 patients (43.8%). All patients (100%) demonstrated neurological and neuroimaging abnormalities, of which four (12.5%) did not present microcephaly at birth, only later.
Conclusions :
Most children with CZS demonstrated severe visual impairment. More than half presented cerebral visual impairment, characterized by visual impairment as a consequence of the neurological involvement, regardless of ocular findings.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.