Ocular Manifestations in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in the Pre-HAART Versus the HAART Era in the North Indian Population

PURPOSE: To compare changes in the demographic profile and ocular manifestations in patients with HIV in the pre-HAART and HAART era in North India. METHODS: In this single-center cross-sectional study, 100 HIV patients receiving HAART and 96 HIV patients in the pre-HAART era were enrolled. Prevalence of ocular manifestations of HIV was calculated for both cohorts. RESULTS: The prevalence of ocular manifestations was not statistically different in the two eras (38%, SE: 4.85% in HAART era; 41.67%, SE: 5% in pre-HAART era) (p = 0.60). Mean CD4 counts were lower in the pre-HAART era compared with the HAART era (p < 0.001). In the HAART era, cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis and HIV retinopathy continued to remain the most common infectious and non-infectious cause of visual morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: While the introduction of HAART has resulted in a major impact on the overall health of patients with HIV, the spectrum of ocular disease remains largely unchanged in developing countries such as India.