Long-Term, Low-Dose Antiviral Treatment Benefits Patients with Eye Disease & Pain from Shingles
Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, and it can lead to debilitating and long-lasting vision loss for the 8% of sufferers whose virus affects a particular nerve that supplies the eyes. Now for what you came here for — the good news: Such symptoms may soon be alleviated thanks to a new treatment plan dubbed a “possible breakthrough” by CBS News.
In a multiyear study, a long-term, low-dose antiviral treatment was found to help reduce the risk of damaging and often painful periods of inflammation and infection around the eye. Study participants who took antivirals for a full year saw a 26% reduction in their risk of new or worsening eye disease at 18 months, and they were less likely to have multiple disease flare-ups compared to those who received a placebo.
The current treatment is typically a 7-10 day course of an antiviral. “We explored longer-term treatment because, while the standard approach has been shown to reduce the chances for chronic eye disease, it still leaves many suffering from it,” said lead study author Elisabeth J. Cohen, who herself has damaged vision as a result of the shingles virus.
Read full report here.
The post New Shingles Treatment May Reduce Eye Pain and Vision Loss appeared first on North Carolina Medical Society.