Background: Cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) is a crucial blind-causing disease of AIDS-related ocular opportunistic infection. The CMVR lesions produced retinal necrosis. It is not entirely clear whether CMVR eyes without macular-involved necrotic lesions may have subtle macular damage. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional study using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to evaluate macular microvasculature and structure in eyes with AIDS-related CMVR.Methods: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related CMVR patients (active and inactive CMVR) and healthy controls treated in the Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University between August 25, 2019, and October 18, 2019, were recruited. All OCTA parameters, including the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), retinal vessel density (VD), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), retinal thickness, and choroidal thickness, were compared between groups after the signal strength was corrected.Results: Signal strength in the 3 × 3 and 6 × 6 mm scan patterns was significantly weaker in the inactive CMVR group than in the control group (both p < 0.001). After adjusting for signal strength, heterogeneity in the central fovea and parafoveal quadrants was present with a shift toward lower macular chorioretinal vasculature, decreased full choroidal thickness, and thicker retinal thickness in the active and inactive CMVR groups. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) were significantly thicker in the active and inactive CMVR groups than in the control group (all p < 0.05). For photoreceptor-retinal pigment epithelium (PR-RPE) thickness, no significant differences were found in any quadrant between groups. Foveal avascular zone areas were not significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.053).Conclusions: Subtle macular structure and microvasculature damage still existed in CMVR eyes without macular-involved necrotic lesions. The results of our study are helpful for a deep understanding of the damage caused by CMVR.

Purpose: To explore the potential use of ultra-wide-field (UWF) imaging for screening of cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) in AIDS patients. Methods: Ninety-four patients whose CD4 count was below 200 cells/μl were enrolled in a prospective study. Each patient underwent UWF imaging and indirect ophthalmoscopy. The main outcome measures were the concordance and detection rates of these two approaches and the sensitivity and specificity of UWF imaging. Results: Twenty-seven eyes in 18 patients were diagnosed with CMVR by the indirect ophthalmoscopy. UWF imaging missed the diagnosis in one eye because of a zone 3 CMVR lesion. The UWF image showed several CMVR patterns and locations: hemorrhagic necrotizing lesion, granular lesion, frosted branch angiitis, and optic neuropathy lesion. The concordance of the two approaches was excellent for diagnosis of CMVR, classification of CMVR pattern, and location of CMVR. The detection rates of UWF imaging and indirect ophthalmoscopy were 14.0% (26/186; 95% CI, 0.089–0.190) and 14.5% (27/186; 95% CI, 0.094–0.196), respectively (p = 1.000). The sensitivity and specificity of UWF imaging were 96.3% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: UWF imaging is capable of documentation of different CMVR lesions and AIDS-related CMVR screening when examination by an ophthalmologist is not available.

Objectives The tear, as an important bodily secretion, plays a crucial role in preventing infection and maintaining homeostasis of ocular surfaces. Although accumulating studies have reported on the HIV-1 viral load profile among varying bodily fluids and secretions, little was known concerning HIV-1 dynamics in tears. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the HIV-1 viral load in tears of HIV/AIDS patients and study factors influencing their tear viral load. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. 67 patients with a confirmed HIV-1 infection or AIDS were recruited from the Beijing You'an Hospital, China between April 2018 and September 2018. Socio-demographic information and laboratory test results were collected. At the same time, ophthalmic examinations were carried out and tear samples were tested. Results Of 30 highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-naïve patients, 53.3% had detectable HIV-1 RNA in tears. Of 37 patients on HAART, HIV-1 RNA was undetectable in their tears, regardless of treatment duration and blood viral load. Tear viral load ranged from TND (target not detected) to 13,096 copies/mL. Viral load was lower in tears than in blood plasma (p < 0.001), and was significantly correlated with plasma viral load (Rho = 0.566, p < 0.001) and AIDS stage (Rho = 0.312, p = 0.01), but negatively correlated with CD4 + T cell count, CD4 + /CD8 + T cell count, and duration of HIV infection (Rho =-0.450, Rho = − 0.464, Rho = − 0.565; p < 0.001). Conclusions HIV-1 RNA is present in tears of more than half of the HAART-naïve patients, whereas absent in tears of patients on HAART. Tear viral load is positively associated with plasma viral load while it is negatively correlated with CD4 cell count. This study provides novel insights into the area with limited understanding-HIV-1 viral load in tears.