Rift Valley fever ocular manifestations: observations during the 1977 epidemic in Egypt

Ocular manifestations resulting from Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus infection were studied during an extensive RVF epidemic in Egypt during 1977. Colour photography and fluorescein angiography of 7 serologically diagnosed patients showed the commonest manifestations to be macular, paramacular, and/or extramacular retinal lesions, often occurring bilaterally. Haemorrhage and oedema were frequently associated with the lesions, and vasculitis, retinitis, and vascular occlusion were also observed. Patients were monitored during a 6-month convalescence, and, though resorption of the lesions occurred, approximately half the patients experienced permanent loss of visual acuity. Ocular disease was one form of the clinical spectrum of RVF; acute febrile, encephalitic, and fatal haemorrhagic RVF illnesses were also observed during the epidemic.