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What Are the Treatments for Shingles on the Eye?

Shingles of the eyes can be painful with many complications. With proper treatment, these symptoms can be controlled and within 5 weeks may be cleared up.

  1. Eye Shingles

    • Shingles, also known as the herpes (zoster) varicella zoster virus, usually affects people who have had chickenpox. Chickenpox, a known virus, can become dormant in nerve cells and can then reemerge into shingles. Shingles travels along the nerve and then starts to affect the skin. Eye shingles starts out with red patches around the eye and then turns into blisters. Shingles damages the nerves, then it becomes inflamed. This condition can become very painful even after the rash has disappeared, which is called post-herpetic.

    Causes

    • There is no known reason why shingles occurs, although it is believed the cause of shingles is when a person gets chickenpox, and the chickenpox virus lays dormant in certain nerves. A reactivation of the virus then develops, causing shingles. The reactivation is believed to occur when the immune system is weakened due to stress or fatigue. Some medications or diseases may trigger a reactivation such as chemotherapy, cancer or HIV.

    Symptoms

    • Shingles most often affects the face and trunk. Shingles starts out as a rash and then develops into blisters. The symptoms of shingles is fever, itching, tingling feeling or severe burning. Symptoms may also include swollen lymph nodes. When shingles occur in the eyes, it is from the spreading of shingles along the back, ear, face and forehead. It ends up getting into the eye, where many experience pressure in the eye. Other symptoms are swollen eyelids, redness and pain.

    Treatments

    • Shingles often does not require treatment; in most cases, shingles clears up on its own. This process can take up to 2 weeks and often does not reoccur. For most people who attract shingles, treatment is needed to relieve the symptoms. If you have lesions that are oozing, isolate yourself so you do not infect others who are more susceptible. To ease the pain, use a wet rag and soak it in diluted vinegar twice a day. Keep the skin clean and never reuse contaminated items. When the blisters have dried up and start cracking, use a small amount of petroleum jelly three times a day.

    Complications

    • Some people who have eye shingles may have complications such as damage to the eyes, permanent blindness or temporarily blindness. Sometimes shingles of the eyes can cause scarring of the cornea. As you get older, this can lead to glaucoma.

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