Drs. Conway and Henry, I see nothing specific about my question. I have been diagnosed by an Opthalmologist with Optic Atrophy. I am going to a Neuro-opthalmologist in May for more extensive testing. HIV meds are Viread, Viramune, Epivir and antibiotics (azithromyicin and septra). Status is Not Detected and stable, but low CD4 count of 70 (11% to 12%). The VL and T-cell has been stable at these levels for 3 years. What do I need to know now? Thanks a lot. I was first diagnosed in September 2002 and I am 60 years old and my health is generally good.

I assume you have had a head MRI or CT scan looking for any pathology near the optic nerve? Generally optic nerve atrophy means there is some disease process impinging on or directly affecting the optic nerve. HIV can occasionally cause that so treatment with drugs with good brain penetration (current regimen should be generally OK) is important if that is the case. A neuro-ophthalmologist consultation is crucial so that referral is an important one for you. KH