Ocular manifestations in mosquito-borne viral fevers

Abstract

Background: The ocular manifestations of dengue and chikungunya have been reported in different parts of the world, but they differ in different areas and epidemics. As these major mosquito-borne viral febrile illnesses are considered to be an important public health concern, ocular manifestations if any, may give a clue to the disease severity, significant cases can be referred early to the tertiary center. Aim: To study the pattern of ocular manifestations in mosquito-borne viral fever cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Descriptive observational case series study. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients admitted in the medical wards having clinical features of chikungunya and dengue with serological confirmation during the epidemic between April and October 2010 were included in this study. They were subjected to ophthalmological evaluation with necessary investigations. Statistical analysis was done by software SPSS-16. Results: The ocular manifestations associated with the epidemic of mosquito-borne viral fever were periorbital ecchymosis, conjunctivitis, subconjunctival hemorrhage, episcleritis, scleritis, nongranulomatous anterior uveitis, trabeculitis, posterior uveitis, retinal vasculitis, and macular edema. These patients were having significant thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. The visual prognosis was generally good with treatment. Conclusion: Considerable number of patients had various ocular manifestations in patients with dengue and chikungunya.