title: HIV-related eye disease in patients presenting to a tertiary care government hospital in Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document the ocular involvement in HIV-infected individuals in Turkey and to compare the findings with those from other centers throughout the world.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, patients with HIV infection being monitored in a tertiary hospital in Istanbul were enrolled. Ocular examination was performed, and the prevalence of ocular manifestations determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 93 patients were enrolled, of whom 37.6% had ocular pathology. HIV retinopathy was the most frequent retinal finding, affecting 8.6% of the enrolled patients, but none of the affected individuals had any ophthalmic complaints. There were no ocular lesions suggestive of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to the case in the developed world, sight-threatening infections are uncommon in Turkish HIV(+) patients. The reasons for this are not clear, but it is possible that there are some genetic or environmental protective factors against CMV retinitis in the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Ophthalmology, Göztepe Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. aardagil@gmail.com
authors.forename: Aylin Ardagil
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Akçakaya
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sargın
authors.forename: Hasan Hasbi
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Erbil
authors.forename: Asiye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aybar
authors.forename: Fariz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sadigov
authors.forename: Sevil Arı
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Yaylalı
authors.forename: Güzide
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akçay
authors.forename: Nail
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozgüneş
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology