title: Incidence Rate and Risk Factors for Contralateral Eye Involvement among Patients with AIDS and Cytomegalovirus Retinitis Treated with Local Therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To calculate the incidence of, and to identify the risk factors for developing contralateral eye involvement among patients with AIDS and unilateral cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMV retinitis), who were treated, in the era of highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), with repetitive intravitreal ganciclovir injections.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical records of 119 patients were included. The main outcome measurement was the occurrence of contralateral eye involvement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a mean follow-up period of 1.6 years, the overall incidence rate of contralateral involvement was 0.17/person-year. The cumulative incidence of contralateral involvement at 6 months and 1 year was 23.8% and 28.4%, respectively. Receiving HAART at the visit before the event was associated with a decreased risk of developing contralateral retinitis (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.26, P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of HAART, associated with subsequent immune recovery, significantly reduced the incidence of contralateral eye involvement by approximately 75% among patients in our setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University , Hat Yai , Thailand and.
authors.forename: Wantanee
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sittivarakul
authors.forename: Thanyapat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Benjhawaleemas
authors.forename: Nipat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aui-Aree
authors.forename: Pichai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jirarattanasopa
authors.forename: Tippawan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liabsuetrakul
keywords: AIDS; Ganciclovir; contralateral retinitis; cytomegalovirus retinitis; local therapy