shingles

[Kymber74]

My question is about shingles  and the eye. I have shingles on my middle left back. The Blisters have appeared ,a nd they are very itchy. I also went to the eye docter 3 days ago, complaining of a irrated Right eye. they docter did a full workup and said t looks like i had allregies, and gave me eye drops.  I wear gas permeable Contact lenses. So, no my right eye is VERY itchy, but nothing else worth noting. My question is could i have Shingles in my right eye, when i have it on my left side, and could I have had a check up 3 days ago ,and he had missed that?  Is shingles of the eye always accomponied by a rash or marks on the face, around eye, and or forehead, or can it spread to the eye internally without any outward signs? Thank you so much

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

First you should be on an oral antiviral such as acyclovir, famvir or valcef.  Second it would be very unlikely that you would have Herpes Zoster on two different places like you back and eye. You should consider leaving your contacts out and just wearing your glasses until the shingles has dried up and gone away.

JCH MD

[steelcoffee]

I am not a doctor, but I'm good with google and I've sweated other herpes related infections of the eyes before (chicken pox/shingles is caused by Herpes Zoster) while I was around people with cold sores who couldn't give me the news and not the weather, while talking, if you know what i mean. If I were in your position, I would sleep soundly tonight. With shingles, my understanding is that its rarely limited exclusively to the eye. Furthermore, with any herpes virus were it to get to your eye, you wouldn't likely be on this board posting, you'd be in at the doctors in a flash. At worst, I could imagine someone confusing it with a different kind of eye infection. When I asked my doctor about the possibility of me getting a herpes infection in the eye from someone's spit while talking, he laughed, said it was quite low, and if I contracted it and it presented symptoms, I would "certainly know." (I know your question is about shingles, but following the same logic, I would imagine you'd "certainly know".)

If its just itching, I wouldn't sweat it yet. If you are already taking an anti-viral (like acyclovir or whatever they're handing out for these things) I don't imagine the doctor will have a whole lot else to say anyway until more symptoms are present. I'd think it'd just be lubricating and maybe anti-viral (assuming they exist) eyedrops thereafter.

One other interesting tid bit, herpes lies dormant in nerve cells, then follows the nerve down and expresses itself once it reaches the surface of whatever happens to be there. That's kinda what controls its area of appearance i think.

Once again, for the record, I am not a doctor. Good luck with your troubles!

Once again, I am not a doctor.

[Kymber74]

Thank you Dr Hagan for answering my question. I had heard that yo should get treated with antiviral meds only within the first few days opf having a rash, i have had it for 4 days. Is this true? Or am I still eligiable? I have developed 2 new spots today alnong the same band onb my back, do you knwo if this is part of it, to keep developing new spots? Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can give me.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

If it were me I would take the meds. The new spots can be part of the problem if they are near the old ones. Tell your friends there is a new vaccine to prevent Herepes Zoster and it is recommended for healthy people over 60. It is expensive.  About 4% of people have a second attack of shingles. Talk to your doctor about checking to see if your produced antibodies to shingles in a month or so OR discuss having the shingle vaccine.

JCH MD