Herpes zoster ophthalmicus

doi:10.1136/bmj.b2624

Published 13 August 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2624
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b2624

Practice

10-Minute Consultation

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus

Fook Chang Lam, specialist registrar in ophthalmology¹, Allison Law, general practitioner², William Wykes, consultant ophthalmologist¹

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF, ² Southbank Surgery, 17-19 Southbank Road, Kirkintilloch G66 1NH

Correspondence to: F C Lam fook_chang@hotmail.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 65 year old woman attends your practice with a two day historyof a vesicular rash around her right eye. She also reports ageneral feeling of fatigue and malaise and has been slightlyfeverish over the past week. She had noticed a pain around herright eye even before the skin eruption began.

After an attack of chickenpox the virus (varicella zoster) remainsdormant in the body. This virus is kept in check by the immunesystem. However, in 20% of people the virus is reactivated,resulting in a localised painful rash with blisters (shingles).The commonest cause is a weakening of the immune system withage; most patients are aged over 50 years. Other causes includestress, fatigue, and a weakening of the immune system from otherillnesses or from medical treatment (such as chemotherapy orimmunosuppression).

When the eruption involves the area around the eye (the . . . [Full text of this article]

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