Herpes Zoster Eyes
Herpes zoster eyes is also commonly called ocular herpes, which is a viral infection that affects the eyes. This herpes zoster infection can also cause inflammation and scarring to the cornea, also referred to as a cold sore to the eye. Your cornea is the transparent layer forming the front of the eye and can be easily damaged by herpes zoster eye infections. This virus is transmitted through close contact with someone also infected by the active virus.
There are different forms of herpes zoster in eye:
Stormal keratitis which is when the infection goes into more layers of the eye rather than just the cornea. This is a more serious form of the virus and can result in scarring, losing vision, and sometimes resulting in blindness. It can be caused by a weak immune system to the original virus. It is very rare that this will happen, but it has happene d, so take the precautions of taking vitamins daily and having good health.
Herpes keratitis is the most common and known form of ocular herpes. This virus only hurts the first layer of the cornea and can be treated without scarring.
Iridocyclitis is the most serious form of this virus, which effects the iris and tissues inside the eye swells. The symptoms to this may be sensitivity to light, blurry vision, redness, and pain. It affects the more frontal portions of the inside of the eye which causes more of a serious side effect.
Symptoms and signs of herpes of the eye are inflammation to the cornea and itchy irritation and severe pain. You may see some cloudy or blurry vision. Swelling around the eyes, tearing, foreign body sensation, eye sores, and watery discharge are also symptoms you should be looking for when you have come into contact with someone who has a active herpes virus near you.
Treatment solutions depend on where your eye is effected. To make sure you are getting the right treatment, you should go to your optometrist and then to your doctor to see what medications you need, and how strong your immune system is to handle it. If your immune system is not strong enough than you may need to take certain vitamins to bring up your immune system to make sure that you are healthy enough to fight off what you eye needs you to fight off.
When a person with the active virus is having an outbreak, you can be contaminated through self contact with them, this does not have to happen sexually, it can happen through other ways as well, mostly through the transfer of body fluid of any kind. Once the outbreak occurs and has been transferred, if left untreated, herpes zoster and eye can become 40 to 50 percent more effected and more likely to reoccur. So, at the first sign of seeing, or thinking that you may have herpes zoster eyes, go to the doctor and get checked immediately.