Purpose: To compare the visual prognosis and clinical features of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis between HIV and non-HIV patients.
Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study on patients diagnosed with CMV retinitis. Depending on the presence of HIV infection, best-corrected visual acuity (VA) and clinical feature of CMV retinitis were analyzed. The clinical characteristics associated with poor visual prognosis after antiviral treatment were also identified.
Results: A total of 78 eyes (58 patients) with CMV retinitis were included in this study: 21 eyes and 57 eyes in HIV and non-HIV patients, respectively. Best-corrected VA was not significantly different between HIV and non-HIV patients. The rate of foveal involvement, retinal detachment, involved zone, and mortality did not significantly differ between the two groups. Visual acuity after antiviral treatment was significantly worse (pretreatment logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution best-corrected VA, 0.54 ± 0.67 [Snellen VA, 20/63]; posttreatment logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution best-corrected VA, 0.77 ± 0.94 [Snellen VA, 20/125]; P = 0.014). Poor visual prognosis was significantly associated with Zone 1 involvement, retinal detachment, and a poor general condition.
Conclusion: The overall visual prognosis and the clinical features of CMV retinitis do not differ between HIV and non-HIV patients. The visual prognosis of CMV retinitis still remains quite poor despite advancements in antiviral treatment. This poor prognosis after antiviral treatment is associated with retinal detachment during follow-up, Zone 1 involvement, and the poor general condition of the patient.