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West African Ebola survivors at higher risk for blindness, vision complications
SAN FRANCISCO — Ebola survivors in West Africa are at risk for developing uveitis and worsening vision following their recovery from the illness, according to a scientific poster presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting.
“The long-term sequelae of this disease is the subject of ongoing investigation throughout West Africa. However, the magnitude of the most recent West African outbreak has led to the observation that many survivors will develop systemic and ophthalmic medical conditions following recovery from acute EVD,” Steven Yeh, MD, and colleagues wrote in the retrospective analysis.
Yeh and colleagues included 96 EVD survivors in their study in which 26 eyes of 21 patients developed uveitis.
Systemic symptoms included joint pain (76%), hair loss (38%), fatigue (32%) and hearing loss (10%); ophthalmic symptoms included blurred vision (81%), photophobia (62%) and pain (52%), according to the study.
About 38% of EVD survivors with uveitis had visual acuity of 20/400 or worse, which is considered blind in accordance with World Health Organization criteria, the authors reported.
Yeh and colleagues noted screening and treatment of ocular complications is important for EVD survivors and there is a need to build capacity and mobilize eye care resources in West Africa to meet the needs of these patients. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Yeh S. Ophthalmic manifestations of Ebola Virus disease survivors in Monrovia, Liberia. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists 34th Annual Meeting, Aug. 9-14, 2016. San Francisco, Calif.
Disclosure: Yeh reports he is on the advisory board, is an investigator and receives grants for Clearside. He is also a member on the advisory board and receives honoraria from Santen.