How HIV Affect Your Eyes

Many systemic diseases manifest in the eyes and HIV/AIDS is not an exception. HIV degrades the body’s ability to fight infections thereby exposing the body to various pathogens that poses threat to humans.

The part of the eye that is most affecte is the innermost surface called the retina, which is why the effect of HIV/AIDS on the eye is commonly referred to as HIV/AIDS retinopathy.

There are blood vessels at the retinal area of the eyes and in HIV/AIDS retinopathy, these blood vessels leak small bloods thereby giving rise to small heamorrhages. There are also small whitish spots that look like cotton wool (cotton wool exudates) in the retina.

The following are the eye conditions that observed in patients with HIV/AIDS. 

Cytomegalovirus Retinitis; The word ‘retinitis’ simply means inflammation of the retina and cytomegalovirus is the virus that causes retinitis in 20-30 percent of people with HIV/AIDS. Cytomegalovirus retinitis occurs in the advanced stage of AIDS. In this condition, the retina swells up and bleeds which might lead to severe vision loss if left untreated. Although cytomegalovirus retinitis cannot be treated but the progression can be managed with antiviral medications if the patient seeks immediate help from a qualified eye doctor.

Retinal Detachment; As mentioned above, the retina is the innermost surface of the eyes that is attached to the interior walls of the eye. In advanced stages of HIV/AIDS, the cytomegalovirus causes the retina to separate (pull out) from its attachment (retinal detachment) at the interior walls of the eye. This causes a very severe eye problem that leads to vision loss if left untreated.

When the retina is detached, surgical procedures need to be performed to put it back in its proper position.

Kaposi Sarcoma; This is simply a rare form of cancer of the eyelids and conjunctiva (a thin translucent membrane that lines the back surface of the eyelids and the front surface of the eyeball except the cornea) that occurs in HIV patients. In the eyelids, it forms deep purple-red nodules while in the conjunctiva, the lesions are bright red which resembles subconjunctival hemorrhage. This type of cancer does not usually cause harm to the eyes and are often treated by eye doctors.

Increased Eye Infections; Because HIV degrades the body immune system, the eye is now exposed to various pathogens and foreign bodies that causes eye infection. Two common examples are herpes zoster ophthalmicus and herpes simplex keratitis. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and it has the following symptoms; eyelid skin lesions (rashes), red eyes, watering eye, decreased sensation of the eye and poor vision. Herpes simplex keratitis on the other hand is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) and it comes with the following symptoms; punctuate dots on the cornea, branching or amoeboid pattern of sketches on the cornea, red eyes and watering eyes. These infections require immediate treatment by an eye doctor.

A HIV patient should always go for a thorough eye examination in addition to other body examination he or she must undergo by various medical specialists.

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