[Ocular involvement in congenital Chagas disease]

Abstract

Ophthalmic compromise is infrequent in children with congenital Chagas disease. We present 3 patients under 2 months of age, with ocular involvement, all of them referred to the hospital for ophthalmic evaluation of the premature newborn. The ophthalmic finding was bilateral severe vitreitis (posterior uveitis) related to Chagas disease. They received antiparasitic therapy with a good outcome in all cases. Chagas disease must be considered as differential diagnosis of ocular pathology in those countries where the pathology is endemic, and fundoscopic evaluation must be done in those children with the diagnosis, especially those symptomatic and prematurely born.