Pablo Angel García-Uribe, MD, PhD » Cytomegalovirus Retinitis

  • Probable Cytomegalovirus Retinitis as the Presenting Manifestation of Newly Diagnosed HIV Infection

    Sep 29 2026 by Pablo Angel García-Uribe, MD, PhD

    A 45-year-old patient was referred to the Uveitis Service for presumed cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in the right eye. Medical history was notable for chronic diarrhea, 15-kg unintentional weight loss, and hair loss. Visual acuity was 20/100 OD, improving to 20/50 with pinhole. Wide-field fundus photography showed a large area of necrotizing retinitis along the superior temporal vascular arcade, with retinal whitening, vascular sheathing, and intraretinal hemorrhages, while the macula remained uninvolved. The fellow eye was unremarkable. HIV-1 testing was positive, raising concern for an opportunistic retinal infection in the setting of immunosuppression. CMV retinitis was considered the leading diagnosis, and the patient was urgently referred for tertiary infectious disease and ophthalmologic management.

    Photographer: David García-García, Optometrist, Clínica Oftalmológica Salauno, Mexico City

    Imaging device: VISUCAM 524(Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany)

    Condition/keywords: cytomegalovirus (CMV), Cytomegalovirus Retinitis, infectious uveitis, retinitis