title: Late ocular manifestations in neonatal herpes simplex infection.
abstract: Five patients who had had neonatal herpes simplex virus infection were re-examined at ages that varied from 6 to 9 years. In all of them the diagnosis had been supported by virus isolation and antibody titration, and herpes virus type 2, the genital strain, had been the causative agent. Only 1 of the patients was mentally retarded. Three of the patients had manifest squint, and only 1 patient had normal visual acuity in both eyes. The fundus changes varied from atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in 3 patients to atrophy of the optic disc in 2 eyes and extreme tortuosity of the retinal arterioles and veins in 1 patient. One patient developed bilateral retinitis with exudation into the vitreous at the age of 5 years. Fluorescein angiography of this patient showed peripheral vascular closure and preretinal neovascularisation, with leakage in both eyes. This may have been due to chronic retinal vasculitis; haemorrhagic infarction may have induced the damage to retinal tissues. Laser photocogulation resulted in slight improvement of the visual acuity, clearing of the vitreous, and decrease of the fluorescein leakage.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005132:Eye Manifestations; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D007635:Keratitis, Dendritic / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity