Study reports that optic nerve pallor is prevalent in ZIKA virus patients

Article

During a presentation at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2021 annual meeting, Dr Denise Freitas reported that the ocular findings in infants with congenital Zika virus syndrome were similar among the affected infants and occurred frequently. The most prevalent of the findings was optic nerve pallor.

Reviewed by Dr Denise Freitas.

Study reports that optic nerve pallor is prevalent in ZIKA virus patients

Ocular findings in infants with congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZS) were similar among the affected infants and occurred frequently, according to Dr Denise Freitas, who presented findings at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2021 annual meeting in New Orleans.

The most prevalent of the findings was optic nerve pallor.

Dr Freitas is from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Paulista School of Medicine, Hospital São Paulo, and the Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Dr Freitas and colleagues conducted a study to characterize the ocular findings in infants with microcephaly and CZS from 2015 to 2017 in Paraiba, Brazil.

The investigators classified the infants into 1 of the following 3 categories: confirmed congenital ZIKV infection based on a positive test and negative for rubella, toxoplasmosis, HIV, syphilis, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus; probable congenital ZIKV infection, indicating a previous ZIKV infection or passive immunity and negative tests for the other infections; or suspected ZIKV infection in infants that did not undergo testing for ZIKV or other disease but exhibited clinical findings suggestive of the congenital ZIKV syndrome, Dr Freitas explained.

Findings in study infants

Fifty-six infants were included in the study, all of whom had microcephaly and other signs that are typical of CZS. The mean age at examination was 5.25 months (median, 4 months; range, 1-12 months). The mean head circumference was 28.76 centimetres (median, 29 centimetres; range, 25-31.9 centimetres).

Dr Freitas reported that 12 (21.4%) infants had confirmed congenital ZIKV infection, 15 (26.8%) had probable infection, and 29 (51.8%) had suspected infection.

Ocular findings were identified in 24 infants (42.9%) of the 56 infants and included gross retinal pigmentation in 11 (45.8%), macular chorioretinal atrophy in 11 (45.8%), optic nerve hypoplasia in 1 (4.2%), optic nerve pallor in 14 (58.3%), and increased optic disc excavation in 2 (8.3%).

“The ocular findings were similar among the infants and consistent with those reported in the literature, regardless of the patients’ serologic confirmation or classification,” Dr Freitas concluded. “The findings were identified frequently and the prevalent was optic nerve pallor.”

Related Content: Additional AAO content | Paediatrics | Inflammation & Infection

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.