title: Chikungunya fever presenting with acute optic neuropathy.
abstract: Chikungunya fever is a vector borne virus that typically causes a self-limiting systemic illness with fever, skin rash and joint aches 2 weeks after infection. We present the case of a 69-year-old woman presenting with an acute unilateral optic neuropathy as a delayed complication of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection contracted during a recent trip to the West Indies. She presented to our ophthalmology department with acute painless visual field loss in the right eye and a recent flu-like illness. She was found to have a right relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) with unilateral optic disc swelling. Serology confirmed recent CHIKV infection. Treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone was delayed while awaiting MRI scans and serology results. At 5-month follow-up, there was a persistent right RAPD and marked optic atrophy with a corresponding inferior scotoma in the visual field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
authors.forename: Abhijit Anand
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mohite
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agius-Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010211:Papilledema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D011681:Pupil Disorders / Q000821:virology*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000821:virology*; D014794:Visual Fields