Ebola warning for ophthalmologists
News of Ebola found in a survivor’s eye has prompted a warning to ophthalmologists when performing surgeries on those who’ve been inflicted by the deadly virus.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
“The medical community has appreciated that the Ebola virus can remain viable in some body fluids for an extended period of time after the initial onset of the disease,” said Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD, president of the AAO and a
Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD
“If the Ebola epidemic continues, ophthalmologists throughout the world will be seeing patients with post-Ebola uveitis, will need to recognize and treat this condition, and will need to take appropriate increased precautions in performing surgical procedures on these patients,” Dr. Van Gelder explained.
“(However,) a burning sensation in his left eye, a sensitivity to light, and the feeling that something was stuck in his eye continued to bother him. Later he suffered blurred vision, pain and inflammation, and the color of his eye turned from grey to green. When doctors tested the aqueous humor, the watery substance inside the eye, it tested positive for Ebola. It was a startling discovery for doctors who were unaware that the infection could hide and grow in the eyes after it has been vanquished elsewhere in the body,” IBT reported.
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