In people, the Zika virus is known to cause symptoms in the eyes. In adults, the virus can cause conjunctivitis (pink eye), which involves inflammation of the transparent membrane that lines the inside of the eyelid and the covering of the white part of the eyeball. In rare cases, the virus can cause uveitis, or inflammation of the middle tissue layer of the eye, which can lead to pain, blurred vision and, in severe cases, blindness. Babies infected with Zika in the womb can also have damage to their eyes or blindness after birth, the researchers said.
In the new study, the researchers injected adult mice with the Zika virus. The investigators found that the virus was able to travel to the animals' eyes and infect several regions of the eye, including the iris, retina and optic nerve.