Dj. Plummer et al., VISUAL-FIELD TOSS IN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS WITHOUT INFECTIOUS RETINOPATHY, American journal of ophthalmology, 122(4), 1996, pp. 542-549
PURPOSE: To determine the extent of vision loss in a cross-sectional s
tudy of HIV-positive individuals who had no infectious retinopathy. ME
THODS: Visual field loss was determined by computerized achromatic aut
omated perimetry and short-wavelength automated perimetry in both eyes
in 65 HIV-positive individuals without infectious retinopathy and in
one randomly selected eye each in 57 age-matched normal controls. Resu
lts were analyzed using the global index of mean defect and the Glauco
ma Hemifield Test, and significance was determined through analysis of
variance, chi-square, and Tukey-Kramer tests.RESULTS: We found that H
IV-positive patients, compared with age-matched HIV-negative controls,
demonstrated significant (at least P <.01) localized defects as well
as an increased mean defect. The HIV-positive patients also had a sign
ificantly greater number of defective points, especially on short-wave
length automated perimetry, even while ophthalmoscopic examination and
fundus photographs suggested that the retinas were normal. CONCLUSION
S: There is a significant loss of visual function in HIV-positive indi
viduals that is not the result of infectious retinopathies. The findin
g By short-wavelength perimetry of more severe defects suggests that t
he vision defects are not caused by attentional or other suprachiasmat
ic problems because the neurologic difficulty of both achromatic and s
hort-wavelength perimetry is similar. The effects of this vision loss
on the daily living and occupational tasks of this population require
further study.