A Case of Bilateral Irreversible Loss of Vision in a Young Child Due to Mumps Retinitis

To describe a case of severe visual loss due to bilateral retinitis after mumps fever in a young child.

Observational case report.

A five-year-old boy presented with bilateral blindness 2 days after suffering from fever and parotid swelling. His examination showed vision of only perception of light, grade 2 anterior chamber activity, outer retinal necrosis involving whole retina with frosted branch angiitis like picture, inferior retinal detachment and few retinal hemorrhages in both eyes. His optical coherence tomography of retina showed diffuse thickening of the retina, subfoveal fluid and subretinal hypereflective material (SHRM) at the posterior pole with diffuse disruption of EZ and external limiting membrane (ELM). The serological test was positive for IgG and IgM antibodies against mumps virus. He did not respond to intravenous methylprednisolone, oral valganciclovir, hyperbaric oxygen and plasmapheresis. He developed foveal thinning, loss of external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone and retinal pigment epithelial signals on optical coherence tomography with final vision of perception of light only.

Mumps retinitis is rare and can result in severe visual loss. The unique findings in our case were exudative retinal detachment, subretinal fluid and hyperreflective material at the posterior pole.