Corneal Eye Infections from Shingles

Connecticut Corneal Specialist Leslie Doctor, M.D. commented on shingles eye infections from Herpes Zoster virus. “We know that Herpes Zoster virus or “Shingles” infection increases in incidence with increasing age. More important for patients to know is that somewhere between 10-25% of patients who get a systemic shingles infection also develop eye problems from shingles,” relayed Dr. Leslie Doctor of Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County CT. “It is entirely possible to get a cornel infection or keratitis from the this virus which is the same virus that causes chicken pox, called Varicella-Zoster virus. It is entirely possible that after having chicken pox as a child, the Varicella-Zoster virus remains in the nerve cells of your body in an inactive state and then reactivates later in life and travels through the nerves in your body causing a painful blistering rash. If the virus then travels to your head or neck it can affect the eye and thus cause a corneal infection or keratitis,” she further explained. 

“I want to impress upon patients that it is really critical to have a Herpes Zoster keratitis diagnosed and treated quickly as it can result in significant scarring, vision loss and even loss of corneal sensation which is not a good thing. We need to be pretty aggressive in treatment, often prescribing both oral medication as well as eye drops in order to avoid serious damage from occurring,” Dr. Doctor emphasized. 

If you or someone you know has had shingles or Chicken Pox and is experiencing any type of eye problem please call Corneal Specialist Leslie Doctor, M.D. at 203-227-4113 and request an immediate appointment, or visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center. Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.