Problem

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related cytomegalovirus (CMV)
retinitis continues to be a neglected source of blindness in resource-poor settings. The
main issue is lack of capacity to diagnose CMV retinitis in the clinical setting where
patients receive care and all other opportunistic infections are diagnosed.

Approach

We developed and implemented a four-day workshop to train clinicians working in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinics how to perform binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and diagnose CMV retinitis. Workshop s comprised both classroom didactic instruction and direct clinical eye examinations in patients with advanced AIDS. Between 2007 and 2013, 14 workshops were conducted in China, Myanmar and the Russian Federation.

Authors

David Heiden, NiNi Tun, Ernest Maningding, Matthew Heiden, Jennifer Rose-Nussbaumer, Khin Nyein Chan, Tamara Khizniak, Alexandra Yakubenko, Susan Lewallen, Jeremy D Keenan, & Peter Saranchuk