Results of long-term antiviral prophylactic treatment on the course of herpes zoster ophthalmicus with ocular involvement: A case series in a tertiary uveitis clinic – A 1-year follow-up

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of long-term antiviral monotherapy on herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) with eye involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients with primary, recurrent, and chronic HZO with at least 1 year of follow-up were included in the study. The primary endpoint of the study was...

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Main Authors: Arash Maleki, Priya D. Patel, Amanda Colombo, C. Stephen Foster
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Taiwan Journal of Ophthalmology
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjo.TJO-D-23-00001
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Summary:PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of long-term antiviral monotherapy on herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) with eye involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients with primary, recurrent, and chronic HZO with at least 1 year of follow-up were included in the study. The primary endpoint of the study was HZO recurrence with ocular presentations. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were included in the study. Eleven (64.7%) patients were included in the primary HZO group and 6 (35.3%) patients were included in the recurrent/chronic HZO group. In the primary HZO group, 10 (90.9%) patients responded to antiviral alone. One patient failed antiviral treatment after 7 months and responded to a combination of methotrexate and antiviral therapy. In the recurrent and chronic HZO group, 4 (66.7%) patients responded to isolated antiviral treatment. No systemic side effects were observed during the study period. CONCLUSION: Long-term antiviral monotherapy may be an effective prophylactic treatment in patients with primary, recurrent, persistent HZO to treat the infection and maintain remission; however, this hypothesis should be examined in more potent study with larger population.
ISSN:2211-5056
2211-5072