Bilateral pigmented retinopathy following measles: long-term follow-up and possible association with keratoconus

A case of pigmentary retinopathy following measles is presented with follow-up of 24 years. A 29-year-old man complained of almost complete blindness during measles infection at the age of 5 (1966). Ophthalmoscopy revealed retinal edema with pallor of the optic disc and in a few months pigment alterations gave the fundus a salt-and-pepper appearance. In 1974 and 1985 a pigmentary retinopathy was present with optic atrophy and typical bone corpuscle deposits, and marked impairment of visual function. In 1990 (i.e. 24 years after the onset of symptoms) the fundus shows pigmentary degeneration with optic atrophy and narrowed vessels, ERG is extinguished and visual fields and dark adaptation cannot be recorded owing to amaurosis. The patient also present bilateral keratoconus. The possible association between these two entities, which to our knowledge has not been previously reported, is discussed.