Zika Virus May Cause Visual Impairment in Babies

Brazilian and Stanford University researchers have found out in their research that infants presumed to be affected by Zika virus in the womb may have eye abnormalities possibly linked to the virus. They observed that Zika virus infection can cause a serious harm to the baby's eyes which could lead to severe visual impairment.

The research was carried out on three Brazilian babies with microcephaly (smaller than normal head and brain; a condition caused by Zika virus) who were all born to mothers that showed signs of Zika virus infection in their first trimester of pregnancy. The eye abnormalities reported were signs of retinal damages in the back of the eye which include: retinal bleeding (hemorrhaging), abnormal retinal blood vessels (including signs of missing retinal blood vessels) and retinal lesion (torpedo maculopathy). In addition, the retina of these three babies displayed a speckles of pigment on the macula which are signs of pigment maculopathy and four eyes displayed a darkly pigmented rings which are symptoms of chorioretinal atrophy. Most of these conditions can result in visual impairment if left untreated.

According to the authors, it is very unclear whether the infection caused the eye abnormalities or whether they are linked to microcephaly brought on by the Zika virus.

In another research, 40 babies with microcephaly were observed to have ocular problems more especially those whose mothers were suspected to have Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. Most of the infants showed signs of retinal lesion similar to those in the other study.

In conclusion, the authors are calling for all health professionals in regions endemic for Zika virus infection to submit all newborn babies with microcephaly for retinal examination as the procedure will contribute immensely to their understanding of the infection.

Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology