About the Symptoms of Eye Shingles

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is a viral disease that generates inflammatory lesions in the posterior root ganglia. Eye shingles, or ophthalmic zoster, is one type of this viral disease. The affected posterior root ganglia in eye shingles is the trigeminal, or cranial, nerve "V." Look for the following symptoms of eye shingles.

Neuralgic Pain

• The initial symptom is a neuralgic pain in the trigeminal root, accompanied with headache and fever.

Vesicle Clusters

• After about three or four days, the neuralgic pain will be followed by the appearance of vesicle clusters in the eye and other parts connected to the trigeminal ganglia.

Scab Formation

• Within 10 days, the vesicle clusters will be covered with a scab, which, after peeling, will become a pigmented scab.

Scab Replacement

• After some months, the pigmented scab will be replaced by normally colored skin, although permanent scarring may occur if there is ulceration to the affected skin.

Less Common Symptoms

• In rare occasions, a temporary or permanent paresis (a slight or partial paralysis) of the muscles supplied by the oculomotor nerves may occur.