Ophthalmologic manifestations of congenital rubella

Congenital rubella is a rare and serious disease including auditory neurological, cardiac, urinary, and ocular abnormalities. The eye complaints are often congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma, microphthalmia, and oculomotor disorders. We report the case of a 6-year-old girl presenting with a unilateral congenital cataract associated with congenital rubella. She was referred for complaints of high myopia in her right eye. She had a family history of cardiac and urogenital malformations, and presented deafness at birth. The ophthalmologic examination showed a microcornea and a unilateral dense congenital cataract in the right eye. B-scan ophthalmic ultrasound revealed a posterior microphthalmos. The anterior segment examination of the left eye was normal. Funduscopy revealed a salt-and-pepper appearance. Laboratory tests revealed a positive serology, confirming the congenital rubella. Given her complaints of loss of visual acuity in the right eye, the patient was operated on with a phacoaspiration implant in the capsular bag. The postoperative course was uneventful. The prevention of congenital rubella is based on routine vaccination of children. The association of cataract, congenital heart defects, and deafness must be systematically investigated as it may be more serious in association with systemic manifestations. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.