Optic nerve head neovascularization in a patient with inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis and immune recovery
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Updated: Oct 28, 2026

Dynamic Visual Tests to Identify and Quantify Visual Damage and Repair Following Demyelination in Optic Neuritis Patients
Published on: April 14, 2014
S R Sanislo1, C Y Lowder, P K Kaiser
1Department of Ophthalmology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Eye Institute, OH, USA.
Purpose:
To report a case of optic nerve head neovascularization in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) associated with inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis and immune recovery.
Method:
Case report.
Results:
We examined a 29-year-old man with AIDS and inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis and found vitritis and prominent optic nerve head neovascularization. The patient had been treated with reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors, resulting in a notable rise in CD4+ lymphocyte count and an undetectable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-RNA viral load. No cause of neovascularization other than intraocular inflammation was detected.
Conclusion:
Immune recovery in a setting of inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis can result in optic nerve head neovascularization, as seen in our patient.
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