Shingles disease is a problematic and painful condition caused by a virus called the varicella zoster virus. This is also known as herpes zoster and the same virus is responsible for causing chicken pox. In fact once a person suffers from chicken pox the virus tends to remain within the nervous system and in the presence of some condition the virus tends to get reactivated thereby causing shingles. In rare cases of shingles eye may be affected and this is usually a serious complication with this disease.

In shingles painful blisters erupt all along the most important nerves on the skin surface. The blisters normally have a belt like or band like formation. In some cases of shingles eye area may be affected and this can result in loss of vision. When the blisters erupt on the skin surface initially they appear as small red bumps on a red base of skin.

With time these red bumps tend to turn into fluid filled blisters. Eventually these blisters pop, crust over and then heal. In some cases of shingles eye area of patients may be affected. This is a rare condition and in this problem the blisters may be observed inside the eyelids. This condition can also cause damage to the cornea of the person.

In cases of shingles eye areas may also experience inflammation. This inflammation may be observed in the eye tissues just behind the cornea and this is called uveitis. The blisters may result in greater pressure within the eye and this is called glaucoma. Cataracts may also be observed along with retinal inflammation.

With shingles eye involvement may be observed in those cases where the immunity of the patients is extremely low. With reduced immunity the dormant varicella zoster virus becomes active and causes the resultant blisters. These blisters may affect regions like forehead, nose and eyes. The immune system of a person may become weak because of aging, diseases like cancer, AIDS, emotional stress, some medicine like steroids and also treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.

Some symptoms commonly associated with shingles affecting the eyes include watery eyes, redness of the eyes and blurred vision. Patients may observe blisters on the eyelids, eye pain and increased sensitivity to light along with swelling of the eyelids. In shingles eye involvement may be identified through examination of the eyes and the skin. As the blisters tend to follow certain nerves and pattern this condition can be identified quite easily. In some cases the fluid from the blisters may be checked in a lab to identify the presence of the virus.

The herpes zoster eye infection can be treated with certain antiviral medication like acyclovir. This helps in reducing complications and certain steroids may also be prescribed to reduce any eye inflammation. Certain eye drops and other painkillers may also be prescribed to provide relief from the pain. Finally some special medicines may be prescribed so as to ensure that the pressure within the eye in maintained at normal levels and this is specially directed at cases of glaucoma. The blisters take around 1 to 3 weeks to completely heal and in some cases the cornea may be affected. In these cases the cornea may be permanently scarred. Shingles vaccine should be taken so as to prevent this infection. It is important to seek immediate medical attention if the shingles condition is affecting the eyes.