Implants Eyed for CMV Retinitis

Abstract

TEN YEARS ago, patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who developed cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis lived, on average, 2 months. Now that such patients survive more than 1 year on average, and some up to 3 years, the need for better therapy is becoming urgent. Implants that release drugs directly in the eye may help, says Jay S. Duker, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University Medical School, Boston, Mass. Phase III trials are now getting under way. The idea, he says, is to get higher levels of drug directly into the eye without the side effects of systemic absorption. Cytomegalovirus kills retinal cells that do not regenerate, leaving scotomata (blind spots), and eventually causing complete blindness by destroying the entire retina, causing retinal detachment or optic nerve damage. Number One Eye Problem Cytomegalovirus retinitis is the number one eye problem in AIDS. About 25% of patients with AIDS