Can herpes occur in the eyes, and what are the symptoms like?

Doctor's Answers 4

Photo of Dr Tony  Ho
Dr Tony Ho

Ophthalmologist

Hi,

Yes, herpes can affect the eyelids, conjunctiva and even the cornea. If it occurs in the eyelid, there will be blisters along the eyelid margins. If it occurs in the conjunctiva & cornea, there will be redness, tearing, discharge and blurry vision.

For accurate diagnosis & treatment, I would advise patients to seek the consult of an eye doctor. He/she will be able to prescribe antiviral medications (either in the form of topical ointments or oral antiviral medications).

I hope that this was helpful to you!

Yes, the herpes viruses (such as herpes simplex and herpes zoster/chickenpox) viruses can occur in the eyes.

Almost any part of the eye can be affected, including the eyelids, cornea, conjunctiva, sclera, and very rarely, the retina.

The symptoms experienced depend very much on which part of the eye is affected. Even then, there could be several forms of the disease in the affected part of the eye.

For example, there could be little blisters on the eyelid skin, or if the cornea is affected there could be eye redness, irritation, blurring of vision, etc.

The symptoms are not specific - ie there are other conditions that could cause the same or similar symptoms.

As such, it is important as always to consult a doctor in the event of such symptoms, so that an accurate diagnosis can be made and the appropriate treatment given.

Photo of Dr E-Shawn Goh
Dr E-Shawn Goh

Ophthalmologist

Herpes virus infection of the eye can certainly occur! In fact it is a very common form of ocular infection especially in western countries where the incidence in the general population is significantly higher.

The infection can range from a skin infection, conjunctivitis, superficial corneal keratitis, deep immune-mediated keratitis, inflammation in the eye (uveitis both anterior and posterior), as well as retinitis causing retinal necrosis (in the form of acute retinal necrosis, or posterior retinal necrosis), or optic neuritis and other forms of encephalopathy / meningitis.

If you suspect that this is a concern for you, then emergent consultation with your attending ophthalmologist is an absolute requirement.

ESG

The herpes virus comes from the same family of virus as the chicken pox virus. Once someone has contracted chicken pox previously, the virus never fully leaves the body and remains dormant in the body till a time it is reactivated. Reactivation of the virus usually occurs when patient’s immune system is compromised.

Herpes infection may also affect the eye and could result in serious complications; thus, it is important for one to have a thorough eye examination should one be diagnosed with herpes. Symptoms include redness, tearing, light sensitivity, foreign body sensation and blurring of vision. However, these signs are not specific only to the herpes virus. It is important to get a proper diagnosis from your eye doctor before starting on any medications.

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