1. Nonspecific Symptoms to Notice
Sometimes shingles around the eye follows a course of the virus in another part of the body. Before a visible outbreak of eye shingles, or herpes zoster, small changes in your health may become apparent. They are usually mild and may be passed off as the start of a weak cold or migraine, especially if you are otherwise healthy. However, if your immune system has been compromised due to another illness, physical or emotional stress or medication side effects, you should pay special attention to them. Your skin or eyes may feel unusually sensitive to pressure, friction or light. This can progress to itchiness, tingling or pain in the skin, often localized in one area on one side of the body, possibly on the face or eyelids.
2. Visible Proof of the Shingles Virus
This topical pain is then accompanied by the appearance of reddened skin that grows small red bumps, sometimes confused with a simple heat or fungal rash. If the optic nerve is affected, the bumps will cluster around the lids of one eye. Then the cycle of blistering, rupturing, draining, drying and crusting begins, which lasts for several weeks. Because the skin around the eye is very delicate, with nerve endings near the surface, these can be very painful, often with a burning or prickling feeling.
3. Lingering Symptoms in the Eye
During the course of the shingles virus reactivation, you may notice that the white of your eye, or conjunctiva, turns red due to infection of the mucous membrane. Your vision may be blurred, and your sensitivity to light may persist. If the virus causes scratches on the cornea or inflammation of the iris, optic nerve or retina, you will likely experience more swelling, redness and pain. Treating these symptoms and monitoring eye health is crucial because patients who get eye shingles are at a higher risk for glaucoma later in life.
