CMV retinitis strikes people with HIV and causes blindness if left untreated. The available treatment in Myanmar was painful - a weekly injection directly into the eye over a period of four to nine months for many years. It also failed to provide any protection against the other eye becoming infected, and it was extremely difficult to find staff skilled in administering the injection. An oral treatment has been available for years, but it was not available in Myanmar until recently. However the cost is still too high and it is not included in the World Health Organization guidelines.
