Clearly, new approaches are needed. Recently, a third treatment for CMV retinitis was announced, and amfAR played a key role in its development. Repeated injections further limit the progression of eye damage. This procedure is a new addition to the field of localized therapies, which includes the ocular implant. One treatment may be effective for up to eight months.
Every local therapy has limitations.
Direct injections or eye implants leave the uninvolved eye, as well as other tissues of the body, susceptible to CMV disease. Methods for measuring exactly how much of the virus is in an infected eye and in the rest of the body would provide invaluable assistance in making decisions about whether the best treatment for a patient is by the local or intravenous delivery of drugs. A technique for measuring amounts of CMV is the focus of research by other amfAR-funded scientists. For example, Dr. Todd Margolis of the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, with an amfAR grant from the Lion's Club, has developed a sensitive PCR-based assay to detect CMV in the blood and eye. This method currently is being tested in hospitals nationwide.