Gena Tew Says She's Experiencing 'Hemorrhages' Amid AIDS-Related Blindness

Social media influencer Gena Tew has revealed that she is experiencing "hemorrhages" amid treatment for her AIDS-related blindness.

The 27-year-old model has been documenting her health journey in a series of social media posts since going public with her AIDS diagnosis in March.

In August, Tew revealed to her TikTok and Instagram followers that she had undergone eye surgery, after her illness caused significant sight loss.

After attending an eye appointment on Thursday, Tew revealed that she is continuing to experience issues during her gradual recovery.

Speaking in a TikTok clip that can be viewed in full at the top of this article, Tew told her followers of her eye: "It seems as though it's getting a little better, but I have more hemorrhages and I need different medications for another fricking three weeks. No surgery, which is good. But this medication makes me really sick."

Over Labor Day weekend, Tew explained to her followers on the platform that she was still experiencing blindness, weeks after her eye operation.

She said: "Those of you who are asking me about an update of my eye, I went to the doctor the other day and he said that I need to wait a month for progress.

"So, they put a gas bubble in my eye. So that's what making it completely blind—like completely. But I've got to wait a month to see some progress and it's really scary. Really scary. But I just wanted to update you guys."

Following her surgery, Tew said in August that she was "blind in my left eye, like completely. So, I just had surgery to get the blood sucked out of it."

Tew said that she would be "taking this new prescription they're giving me for my eyes. It should get better and progress, because it's still healing. It's still really, really sore."

On one of her posts, Tew had used the hashtag "#CMV," in apparent reference to cytomegalovirus retinitis, which is known to be an ocular complication for people living with AIDS.

In recent months, Tew has shared a slew of videos on her health journey, including visits to doctors and posts from her home where she revealed that she had lost sight in one eye and that her weight had dipped to a low of 65 pounds.

Tew has since revealed that her weight has increased to 95 pounds.

In one video clip, which was shared on June 11 and has been viewed more than 12 million times, the social media star showed herself struggling to get up from her bed as her weight plummeted and muscle atrophy weakened her legs.

While Tew remains unable to walk, she shared an update with her TikTok followers in September, showing herself briefly standing up with the aid of a walker.

As her health continues to improve, Tew shared on Monday that the viral load in her blood means that she cannot transmit HIV to another person.

"I am undetectable, you guys. That means untransmittable," she said in a TikTok video. "With that being said, people are asking me, 'Are you going to marry or have a baby with someone with AIDS?' I don't need to marry somebody with AIDS. They don't have to have AIDS. That means I cannot transmit it to the other person."

Tew went on to say that her potential partner could take precautions, such as going on the medicine pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the chances of contracting HIV through sexual intercourse and while injecting drugs.

Noting that there can sometimes be side effects associated with taking PrEP, Tew advised that her partner could also "just be smart and use a condom."

"I can have a normal life. Let's get rid of that stigma," she said as the video drew to a close. "AIDS isn't a death sentence. I survived—I'm a survivor."

Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, HIV/AIDS patients can suppress the viral replication within the body and block transmission to others. The patient will subsequently have such a low level of HIV in the blood that it becomes undetectable in a conventional analysis.

Dr. Laura Guay, vice president of research at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, told Newsweek: "There are currently more than 24 effective anti-HIV drugs that are commonly used in two-four drug combinations to reduce the amount of virus in the body (viral load) to extremely low levels that cannot be measured with our VL tests- called 'undetectable VL.'

"Having undetectable VL is critical to preventing the progression of HIV infection to symptomatic infection or AIDS and preventing transmission of the virus to partners. It is important to seek medical care from an experienced HIV provider if you are HIV-positive.

"Your health care provider will determine which combination of drugs will work best for you to bring your virus levels to undetectable. Sexual partners should also be tested and get on treatment if positive.

"If your partner is HIV-negative, there are steps that you both can take to decrease the chance of passing on the virus, especially while you have detectable VL. The most important thing that you can do is to take your anti-HIV drugs as directed consistently and track your VL results to get to 'undetectable.'

"Until you have reached undetectable VL, you should use condoms consistently and your partner can also take anti-HIV drugs to prevent infection (called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP)."

According to Mayo Clinic, AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, "is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight infection and disease.

"HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It can also be spread by contact with infected blood and from illicit injection drug use or sharing needles. It can also be spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS."

While there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, medications can control the infection and greatly slow its progression.