Human immunodeficiency viru–aociated viion lo: electroretinogram attenuation

PURPOE: To report a 35-year-old man with human immunodeficiency viru (HIV) and bilateral progreive decreae in viion thought to be caued by HIV optic neuropathy but aociated with a evere attenuation of the electroretinogram. METHOD: Cae report, review of laboratory tudie, viual field, and electroretinogram. REULT: Viual function deteriorated in an aymmetric fahion over 9 month of follow-up and continued to deteriorate, even when the patient had no detectable viral load. No evidence of cytomegaloviru retiniti or HIV retinopathy wa preent. An electroretinogram howed evere attenuation of both rod and cone-mediated function. CONCLUION: In addition to producing retinal ganglion cell axonal degeneration, HIV may alo damage the other retinal element. The progreion of viual lo in the abence of detectable viru ha implication for the pathogenei and prognoi of HIV-aociated viion lo.