title: Ocular problems in HIV and AIDS patients in Nigeria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate ocular disease and visual acuity defects in patients with HIV/AIDS according to CD4T-cells counts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CD4T lymphocyte counts of all the volunteers were obtained. Visual acuity, refraction, ophthalmoscope, and slitlamp examinations were performed on each patient after the CD4T-cell count result was obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Young adults aged between 21 and 30 years were mostly affected, 39 (97.5%) of the HIV patients had refractive errors, and 10 (25%) had reduced vision. Seven (17.5%) moderate and one (2.5%) severe low vision patients were found between 499 to 0 and 299 to 200 CD4T-cell counts, respectively. Ocular diseases found in various CD4T-cells counts were proptosis (2.5%), orbital cellulitis (2.5%), and cytomegalovirus retinitis (2.5%) in 99 to 0, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (2.5%) and corneal keratitis (2.5%) in 499 to 400, molluscum contagiosum (2.5%) in 299 to 200, iridocyclitis (2.5%) in 199 to 100, cloudy media (22.5%), red eyes (30%), poor pupillary reflexes (17.5%), and painful eye (30%) in 499 to 0, retinal exudates (15%), disc edema (30%), and choroidoretinitis (15%) in 399 to 0, ocular toxoplasmosis (5%) and herpes zoster (7.5%) in 299 to 100, Kaposi sarcoma (12.5%) in 199 to 0, conjunctivitis (7.5%) in 499 to 300, and uveitis (7.5%) in 399 to 200. There were significant differences between visual acuity of the control and the HIV/AIDS patients, p < 0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ocular impairments increased with decrease in CD4T-cells counts. Additional studies are required in predicting the CD4T-cells counts that will serve as a marker for specific ocular disease manifestation in HIV/AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. oemina@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Michael Osita
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Emina
authors.forename: Stella E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Odjimogho
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology*; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult