Management of a case of bilateral dengue maculopathy with intravitreal steroid therapy

Abstract

Bilateral sight threatening macular and optic nerve inflammation may occur with dengue fever, necessitating the use of systemic steroids. We report a case of bilateral dengue maculopathy in an elderly woman managed with targeted intravitreal steroid therapy. A 63-year-old woman presented with acute-onset painless diminution of vision in both eyes following a dengue fever episode. She had bilateral foveal inflammatory lesions, macular oedema, small vessel occlusions at the macula and scattered retinal haemorrhages and cotton-wool spots. Following systemic evaluation, intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection was performed in both eyes at an interval of 3 days. The foveal lesion and macular oedema resolved quickly in both eyes with a normal foveal architecture at the end of 6-week follow-up. The visual acuity improved considerably in both eyes. Inflammatory retinopathy in dengue fever may be managed with a targeted intravitreal steroid injection approach.