Ocular Herpes: Understanding Risk Factors and Symptoms

Eye herpes (ocular herpes) usually is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), more commonly known as oral herpes. Most people are infected with HSV-1 as a child, after which the virus becomes dormant. It is most likely to reactivate as a cold sore, but herpes also can affect the eyes.

Reactivation

• Risk factors for HSV-1 reactivation include stress, heat, fever, exposure to sunlight, hormonal changes and certain medicines.

Symptoms

• Eye herpes typically causes blisters on the eyelids that crust over and heal within a week. Other symptoms include eye redness, gritty sensations, pain, sensitivity to light, tearing and blurred vision.

Significance

• If eye herpes spreads to the middle layers of the cornea, this can cause permanent scarring, impaired vision and blindness.

Recurrence

• People most at risk for an eye herpes infection are those who have experienced one previously. The first episode usually occurs during childhood, and about one-third of patients develop another infection later, as explained by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).

Additional Risk Factors

• Eye herpes is most likely to occur in people who have a compromised immune system, according to a review of studies published in "British Medical Journal (BMJ) Clinical Evidence" in 2008. A study published in the July 2009 issue of "Eye &Contact Lens: Science &Clinical Practice" found that contact lens wearers had a higher recurrence rate of eye herpes compared to non-lens wearers.