Abstract

Background: Dengue fever, borne by Aedes aegypti mosquito, is one of the most common and most prevalent forms of flavivirus infections in humans, endemic in tropics and warm temperate regions of the world. We report a spectrum of ocular manifestations of dengue fever along with its associated laboratory findings.

Objective: To study the ocular manifestations associated with dengue fever.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 120 patients hospitalized with diagnosis of dengue fever over a period of 6 months from April 2014 to September 2014. All patients underwent complete evaluation with respect to systemic examination, ophthalmic examination in Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. BR Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Result: A total of 120 patients were diagnosed with dengue fever; of which, 75 (62.5%) were men and 45 (37.5%) were women. Mean age was 32 years (20–60 years). Only 39 patients (32.7%) had complaints of retrobulbar pain in the eyes. Two patients (1.67%) had blurring of vision. Ocular findings were present in 68 patients (56.7%). Most common anterior segment findings were subconjunctival hemorrhage in 55 patients (45.8%). Posterior segment findings were present in 16 patients (13.3%); of which, 14 (87.5%) had retinal hemorrhages. Ocular changes had resolved in all the cases, which came for follow-up in 8–10 weeks. It was mostly attributed to the improving platelet count.

Conclusion: The incidence of ocular complications in dengue fever is increasing, hence all patients with dengue should be referred to an ophthalmologist to prevent any sight-threatening complications.

Key words: Dengue fever, ocular manifestations, subconjunctival hemorrhages