Fluorophotometry in patients with human immunodeficiency virus with and without cytomegalovirus retinitis

OBJECTIVE: To study the aqueous humor dynamics in subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with and without cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen HIV-positive subjects (27 eyes, 19 with CMV retinitis and 8 without CMV retinitis), and a control group of 9 HIV-negative subjects (17 eyes). TESTING: Fluorophotometry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Aqueous flow rates as measured by fluorophotometry and intraocular pressure (IOP). RESULTS: Analysis of variance of the mean corrected aqueous flow rate revealed that both HIV-positive groups had significantly lower aqueous flow rates than did the control group (P < 0.03). No difference in mean aqueous flow rates was found between the HIV-positive eyes with or without CMV retinitis. Comparison of mean IOP revealed that HIV-positive eyes with CMV retinitis had significantly lower IOP than did the HIV-positive eyes without CMV retinitis (P = 0.03) and HIV-negative subjects (P = 0.002). There was no correlation between aqueous flow rate and IOP in HIV-positive subjects (P > 0.5). CONCLUSION: The lack of correlation between the aqueous flow rate and IOP suggests that there may be some disassociation between these parameters in HIV-positive patients. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of aqueous formation and in the management of disorders affecting IOP in this population.