Is there room for prompt routine ophthalmic examination in neonates with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the neonatal period?

Purpose: To establish the clinical necessity of routine targeted ophthalmic examination of newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the neonatal period.

Methods: This retrospective study included consecutive neonates that were referred for ophthalmological screening within the context of a proven congenital CMV infection. The presence of CMV-related ocular and systemic findings was determined.

Results: Among the 91 patients included in this study, 72 (79.12%) were symptomatic with one or more of the following manifestations: abnormal brain ultrasound (42; 46.15%), small for gestational age (29; 31.87%), microcephaly (23; 25.27%), thrombocytopenia (14; 15.38%), sensory neural hearing loss (13; 14.29%), neutropenia (12; 13.19%), anemia (4; 4.4%), skin lesions (4; 4.4%), hepatomegaly (3; 3.3%), splenomegaly (3; 3.3%), direct hyperbilirubinemia (2; 2.2%). Not one single neonate in this cohort had any of the ocular findings surveyed.

Conclusion: The presence of ophthalmological findings among neonates with congenital CMV infection during the neonatal period is infrequent, suggesting that routine ophthalmological screening may be safely deferred for the post-neonatal period.