Moreover, tear viral load was found to be associated with blood viral load (Rho = 0.566, p < 0.001), CD4+ T cell count (Rho = − 0.450, p < 0.001), CD4+/CD8+ T cell count (Rho = − 0.464, p < 0.001), duration of HIV-1 infection (Rho = − 0.565, p < 0.001), AIDS stage (Rho = 0.312, p = 0.01), and intraocular pressure (Rho = − 0.252, p = 0.039). Here, CD4 is linked to HIV-1 infection.