HIV-related eye disease in patients presenting to a tertiary care government hospital in Turkey.

AIM: To document the ocular involvement in HIV-infected individuals in Turkey and to compare the findings with those from other centers throughout the world.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, patients with HIV infection being monitored in a tertiary hospital in Istanbul were enrolled. Ocular examination was performed, and the prevalence of ocular manifestations determined.

RESULTS

In total, 93 patients were enrolled, of whom 37.6% had ocular pathology. HIV retinopathy was the most frequent retinal finding, affecting 8.6% of the enrolled patients, but none of the affected individuals had any ophthalmic complaints. There were no ocular lesions suggestive of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.

DISCUSSION: In contrast to the case in the developed world, sight-threatening infections are uncommon in Turkish HIV(+) patients. The reasons for this are not clear, but it is possible that there are some genetic or environmental protective factors against CMV retinitis in the population studied.