Ophthalmic findings in HIV/AIDS patients in Calabar, Nigeria

Objectives: Out of the 38.0 million (30.2–45.0 million) with HIV/AIDS globally, about 35.9 million (28.9–43.0) adults live in sub-Saharan Africa. Ocular findings in HIV/AIDS are a cause of morbidity, visual impairment, and blindness and differ in different environments. This study aimed to investigate the pattern and prevalence of ophthalmic manifestations of HIV/AIDS in Calabar, Nigeria. Material and Methods: This study investigated ocular findings among patients attending the HIV/AIDS Special Treatment Clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Using a descriptive cross-sectional study design, a total of 440 subjects met the inclusion criteria and were recruited into the study. Results: There were 166 (37.73%) male and 274 (62.27%) female respondents, indicating a female preponderance with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.6. The modal age group was 26–35 and formed 40.4% of study population while 415 (94.30%) of the study population were 55 years old or less. While 316 (72.00%) of the respondents had some ocular morbidity, 136 (30.91%) were HIV/AIDS related. A total of 155 respondents (35.20%) had ocular symptoms. No person was blind, while 154 respondents (35.00%) were visually impaired. HIV/AIDS-related findings were retinal microangiopathy in 60 respondents (13.60%), conjunctival microvasculopathy in 30 (6.80%) respondents, hypertrichosis in 22 (5.00%) respondents, dry eye syndrome in 17 (3.90%) respondents, anterior uveitis in 17 (3.90%) respondents, presumed squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva in 7 (1.60%) respondents, facial nerve palsy in 5 (1.14%) respondents, and Kaposi sarcoma of the eyelids and conjunctiva was in 4 (0.91%) respondents. There was increased ocular involvement among those respondents with lower CD4+ counts ( P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Ocular manifestation of HIV/AIDS can occur in the presence of normal vision and are a cause of avoidable uniocular vision loss. Non-HIV/AIDS-related ophthalmic morbidity also occurs in patients with HIV/ AIDS. These facts justify targeted scheduled ophthalmic screening. Ophthalmologists need to recognize and manage the varying patterns and sometimes location specific signs and symptoms.