AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the most feared infectious diseases of the late 20th century with Indian estimates of 21.17 lakhs patients living with HIV contributing to highest numbers among the world . Ocular disease continues to be a major cause of morbidity, among HIV-infected population.Introduction of Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in India led to a dramatic reduction in ocular morbidity . There are only few studies in Indian sub-continent that have evaluated the prevalence of HIV related ocular lesions in patients on HAART. The Purpose of presentstudy is to evaluate ocular manifestations in patients on HAART in a tertiary care hospital. Context: Aims: To study the ocular manifestations among HIV patients on HAART To study the relationship between ocular findings and the duration of HAART Settings and Design: observational study was done in the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre, Sri Ram Narayan Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGGH) attached to Sri Venkateswara Medical college (SVMC), Tirupati between November 2013 to September 2017. The study was approved by the Institutional ethic committee of the Institution. Methods and Material: 1026 HIV positive patients who are on HAART fulfilling the inclusion criteria were examined as per protocol and results were analyzed Statistical analysis used: SPSS 13 Results: 1026 HIV positive patients on HAART were examined during study period out of which 221 (21.53%) patients had ocular manifestations. incidence of ocular manifestations was higher in males compared to females (57.02% vs. 42.98%). The commonest ocular manifestation was HIV retinopathy (14.2%). New manifestations observed were presenile cataract (9.50%). Iatrogenic manifestations observed were Immune recovery uveitis (3.61%), anaemic retinopathy (9.95%). Conclusions: Our study evaluated the prevalence of ocular manifestations in HIV-infected patients on HAART. Screening this patient population is of particular importantance not only because of the high prevalence of ocular manifestations due to disease but also due to the potential for worsening of ocular conditions due to HAART induced IRIS and anemic retinopathy. This shows the importance of ophthalmic evaluation of all HIV patients on HAART.
Keywords: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART); Cytomegalovirus Retinitis (CMV); Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) Cells, HIV Retinopathy; Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS)