CNS abnormalities associated with antenatal Zika virus infection correlate strongly with opthalmic abnormalities, but there were cases of eye abnormalities in the absence of CNS abnormalities, which suggests a need for universal eye screening in endemic areas, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
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Irena Tsui, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and her associates examined 224 infants suspected of antenatal Zika virus infection for eye abnormalities between Jan. 2, 2016, and Feb. 28, 2017. They found that 40% had CNS abnormalities and 25% of all infants had eye abnormalities; of those 90 infants with CNS abnormalities, 54% had eye abnormalities, which makes for an odds ratio of 14.9 (P less than .0001). However, among the 134 infants without CNS abnormalities, 4% had eye abnormalities.
The study also investigated the existence of eye abnormalities among infants did not laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of Zika virus infection. To do so, they performed reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing on 189 infants. They found eye abnormalities among 22% of the 156 RT-PCR–positive infants and 38% of the 68 RT-PCR–unconfirmed infants. Among the 52% of infants with eye abnormalities who were reexamined, there were no signs of worsening, ongoing activity, or regression in their lesions.
The guidelines in Brazil, where the study was performed, recommend eye examinations only for infants with microcephaly, and the United States currently recommends it only at the discretion of the health care provider. The study investigators think that
“The early identification of eye abnormalities enables low-vision interventions to improve visual function with important repercussions for neurocognitive development,” they concluded.
SOURCE: Tsui I et al. Pediatrics. 2018 Oct;142(4):e20181104.