Study of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness by 3D OCT in HIV positive patients from Eastern India

Abstract

HIV infection is associated with a lot of ocular changes. Even in absence of opportunistic infections, retinal damage may occur due to primary effect of the virus on nerve cells. These neuroretinal changes may affect visual functions of the subject. However, studies concerning retinal thickness changes in HIV infection are almost non-existent from the Indian subcontinent. We did a small cross-sectional study in Eastern India. HIV positive persons were tested for retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thinning using 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT). The CD4 counts of the patients were also measured. The retinal thickness data was compared to that of normal subjects. We had a total of 27 HIV positive patients (54 eyes) and 20 controls (40 eyes). 77% of the patients belonged to 2140 year age group. Of 27 patients, 8 (29.6%) had borderline thinning of retina and 7 had severe thinning. CD4 count of those with severe thinning was lower (282±159/cmm) compared to the total group (315±177/cmm) (p=0.66). There was no gender predilection in retinal changes. Of the 15 patients with retinal changes, 7 had thinning confined to the temporal quadrant and the rest had generalized thinning. Retinal thinning is quite common in HIV infected Indian population. However, its relation with visual impairment and other neurological changes is still to be determined.