Ophthalmic Manifestations and Causes of Vision Impairment in Ebola Virus Disease Survivors in Monrovia, Liberia

Purpose To describe the ocular findings, visual impairment, and association of structural complications of uveitis with visual impairment in a cohort of survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Monrovia, Liberia. Design Retrospective, uncontrolled, cross-sectional study. Participants Survivors of EVD who were evaluated in an ophthalmology clinic at Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA) Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. Methods A cohort of EVD survivors who underwent baseline ophthalmic evaluation at ELWA Hospital were retrospectively reviewed for demographic information, length of Ebola treatment unit (ETU) stay, visual acuity (VA), and ophthalmic examination findings. For patients with uveitis, disease activity (active vs. inactive) and grade of inflammation were recorded according to Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature criteria. The level of VA impairment was categorized according to World Health Organization classification for VA impairment as follows: normal/mild, VA 20/70 or better; moderate, VA 20/70–20/200; severe, VA 20/200–20/400; blindness, VA 20/400) in 38.5% of eyes with uveitis. Anatomic subtypes of uveitis included anterior, posterior, and panuveitis in 2, 13, and 6 patients, respectively. Examination findings associated with at least moderate visual impairment by World Health Organization criteria (VA