Brazilian study shows Zika can cause eye disorders in children

A study of 40 children born in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco whose mothers have been infected with Zika virus has verified the link between Zika infection at pregnancy and severe eye disorders in the baby. The study, led by Doctors Rubens Belfort Jr. and Maurício Maia, in collaboration with researchers at Altino Ventura foundation, found that out of the 40 studied children who had microcephaly, almost half (46%) had eye disorders or injuries in the back of the eye. Among these, 68% had disorders in both eyes.

In an interview to Brazil, Maurício Maia, Professor of Ophthalmology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), said that the greater the microcephaly severity, the likelier the child is to develop a disorder in the back of the eye. “The earlier the mother gets infected [with Zika virus], especially if within the first three months of pregnancy, and the greater the severity of microcephaly in the baby, the likelier that child is to have a disorder in the back of their eye,” said Maia.

The study showed that babies of mothers infected with Zika virus during pregnancy must have eye care early on. “Children born to mothers who had symptoms consistent with viral infection must undergo an ophthalmic evaluation, because through early stimulation, these eye back injuries can be developed into areas with some degree of visual acuity,” he said.

Failure to stimulate can lead to severe visual impairment up to and including blindness in the future. Maia's advice to mothers who have had Zika is, they should go to an ophthalmologist as soon as possible for a diagnosis and, if injuries are verified, begin treating immediately.

The next stage in the study will be to investigate the possibility that children whose mothers had Zika at pregnancy develop eye disorders during pregnancy, irrespective of microcephaly. “We believe this is likely with some of the patients we're monitoring,” the ophthalmologist said.

Translated by Mayra Borges