Posterior subcapsular cataracts associated with megestrol acetate therapy

Megestrol acetate, used for eight weeks as an appetite stimulant in a man infected with human immunodeficiency virus, was associated with the development of bilateral posterior subcapsular cataracts. We propose that the glucocorticoid properties of megestrol were contributory. Complicating this association, the patient developed cytomegalovirus retinitis approximately six weeks after the cataracts were recognized.