Ophthalmologic Disease in HIV Infection: Recent Changes in Pathophysiology and Treatment

Ophthalmologic conditions were among the earliest described findings in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The purpose of this review is to highlight recent changes in the pathophysiology and management of ophthalmologic conditions in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996 changed ophthalmologic findings from predominantly acute infectious diseases to chronic, slowly progressive, debilitating conditions. HIV-associated neuroretinal disorder infrequently leads to blindness, but it causes visual disability in a large percentage of patients. Cytomegalovirus retinitis is now seen less commonly in the USA, but it remains an important cause of blindness in HIV-infected patients from developing countries. Immune recovery uveitis has emerged as a major cause of visual disability in the USA. As HIV has become a chronic disease, visual disability due to chronic noninfectious diseases have become increasingly important.