Herpes is a virus that can infect the body and remain dormant in certain nerves for years. When the herpes virus activates, it can result in a severe eye infection. Treating the herpetic eye infection is very important to both relieve the symptoms that it causes and to help force the virus into an inactive stage again. There are both oral medications and eye drops that can be used for treating herpes infections.
Types of Herpes Eye Infections
There are two common herpes viruses that can cause an eye infection. Herpes simplex virus and varicella zoster virus are both in the herpes virus family.
Herpes simplex is more common in younger patients and is very prevalent in the overall population.
Varicella zoster virus is the virus responsible for chicken pox and shingles. The reactivation of the virus as a shingles outbreak can be the cause of the eye infection from this virus.
Signs and Symptoms of Herpes Eye Infections
The most frequent symptoms of herpes eye infections are red eyes, eye pain, and light sensitivity.
Usually, herpes infections will only infect a single eye, so all the symptoms will be on one side.
Signs that are seen in an eye examination include a defect in the cornea called a dendrite, a swollen cornea, and a small amount of inflammation in the front of the eye.
Herpes eye infections can mimic many other eye conditions and may be difficult to diagnose initially.
Once the proper diagnosis is made, treatment can be initiated to help relieve the symptoms and end the active viral infection.
Topical Eye Drops for Herpes Eye Infections
Eye drops of antiviral medications can be used for herpes simplex eye infections but are not strong enough to be used in varicella zoster eye infections.
The two antiviral eye drops are trifluridine (Viroptic) and ganciclovir (Zirgan).
Trifluridine is dosed nine times per day for ten days while ganciclovir is dosed five times per day for ten days.
Trifluridine can have toxic effects on the eyes due to the preservative, thimerosal, in the eye drop.
Oral Medications for Herpes Eye Infections
While topical eye drops can only be used for herpes simplex infections, oral medications can be used for both herpes simplex and varicella zoster.
However, the needed dosage for a varicella zoster eye infection is higher than that from a herpes simplex eye infection. The dosage is double in varicella zoster infections compared to herpes simplex infections.
The three oral medications available are acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir).
The dosage of acyclovir is 400 mg five times per day for a week in herpes simplex infections and 800 mg five times per day for a week in varicella zoster infections.
The dosage of valacyclovir is 500 mg three times per day for a week in herpes simplex infections and 1000 mg three times per day for a week in varicella zoster infections.
The dosage of famciclovir is 250 mg three times per day for a week in herpes simplex infections and 500 mg three times per day for a week in varicella zoster infections.
Our eye doctors at Wilmington Family Eye Care in Wilmington, DE excel in the prescription of glasses, contact lenses and the diagnosis of a variety of eye diseases. Call our optometrists at 302-299-1286 or schedule an eye exam appointment online if you would like to learn more about herpes eye infections. Our eye doctors, Drs. Daniel Baruffi, Amy Quan, Patricia Jones, and Joseph Goldberg provide the highest quality optometry services and eye exams in Wilmington, Delaware and its surrounding areas.