Current Clinical Profile of Ocular HIV Disease in India

Purpose: To describe current ophthalmic and systemic findings in 116 patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection examined at three referral eye centers in India and to establish safety guidelines for health care personnel's. Method: A complete ophthalmological examination was performed on each patient. Relevant investigations were carried out on selected patients. Results: The most common lesion was cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. Other lesions in decreasing order of frequency are cotton-wool spots, chorioretinitis, endogenous endophthalmitis, anterior uveitis, and molluscum contagiousm. The most common systemic infection was pulmonary tuberculosis (50%). The others were oral candidiasis (41.4%), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (11.4%), HIV enteropathy (12.8%) and toxoplasmosis (4.2%). Conclusion: The most common ocular lesion among HIV patients in India is CMV retinitis. With wider availability of cost-effective HAART, clinical and epidemiological profile of HIV in India has undergone transition. Guidelines for aseptic measures in HIV infected patients have been clearly defined now. Physicians and Ophthalmologists should work in tandem to manage ocular disease and opportunistic infections.