Purpose: To evaluate the ophthalmologic conditions of patients with AIDS, with long-term follow-up, previously evaluated by an ophthalmologist, considering general conditions related with AIDS.
Methods: Observational study of 42 patients with AIDS divided into two groups: Group I: 8 patients with previous AIDS-related cytomegalovirus retinitis, Group II: 34 patients with AIDS without cytomegalovirus retinitis. Each patient had been submitted to one ophthalmologic examination. General data of the patients were obtained from the medical records.
Results: The majority of the patients presented visual acuity in the best eye between logMAR 0.0 (68.3%) and 0.1 (26.9%). Optic prescription for refractive errors benefited 39.4% of the patients in Group II but none of the patients in Group I. Presbyopia was corrected in 27.3% of Group II and in 12.5% of Group I patients. No current ocular AIDS-related manifestations were detected in any group. Ocular posterior segment alterations, all of them consisting of retinitis / retinochoroiditis scars, were found in 10 patients, 7 (16.7%) belonging to Group I and 3 (7.1%) to Group II.
Conclusion: Ten (24.4%) patients presented visual alteration due to age. Except for the patients presenting previous retinitis and retinochoroiditis, all the other patients were in good ophthalmic conditions and most of them were in immunologic recovery due to the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy.