Dengue Stings the Eye

Dengue is a vector borne viral fever and has varied ocular affections. We report two cases of Dengue Associated Maculopathy (DAM). The first patient was a 22-year-old lady with dengue fever, presented with diminution of vision in the left eye with best corrected visual acuity of 20/40. Fundus revealed soft exudates and streak haemorrhages at the macula in the left eye. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) showed cystoid macular oedema. She recovered completely within four days. The second patient was a 33-year-old lady with dengue with blurred vision in the left eye, with a visual acuity of 20/80. Fundus examination in the left eye revealed elevated fovea with a yellow well circumscribed lesion with surrounding striations. OCT showed features suggestive of foveolitis. She improved spontaneously over the next 21 days to a visual acuity of 20/20p. DAM is usually a self-limiting condition with favourable prognosis. This report highlights the importance of anticipating visual morbidity in patients with dengue and a thorough evaluation and follow-up in spite of its benign behaviour. Also, this report highlights the importance of OCT in differentiating various presentations of DAM.