Because the virus remains in the body for life, it can cause disease if the immune system becomes severely damaged by disease or suppressed by drugs. CMV disease can affect the eyes, gastrointestinal tract, lung and other organs. Without treatment, people with CMV retinitis can cause people to lose their vision. CMV infection causes patchy areas of bleeding and pus formation on the retina, the light-sensing region that lines the back of the eye. This damage to the retinal tissue can limit vision and can cause total blindness if it is extensive.
Some people report pain behind the eye.
CMV disease may not cause symptoms if affected regions are limited to the outer rim of the retina. An experienced ophthalmologist can diagnose CMV retinitis by seeing the characteristic pattern of infection on the retina during a routine eye exam. Treatment Acute Therapy. Without treatment, CMV retinitis usually progresses rapidly. Infection also can spread quickly to other parts of the eye such as the optic nerve, which transmits images from the eye to the brain.