A Different Vaccine

COVID-19 is not the only virus that can cause problems with your health. The varicella zoster virus (also known as the chickenpox virus) can be a painful and difficult viral infection to deal with, especially in people over the age of 50. An attack of this virus is commonly known as “shingles.”

If shingles affects the eye, it can cause inflammation and a number of sight-threatening complications such as glaucoma. There is an FDA approved vaccine called Shingrix that was released in 2017. The vaccine has been shown to be 89.1% effective against the ocular version of the viral infection. As an eye care specialist who has seen so many terrible vision complications related to shingles, I strongly encourage my patients over the age of 50 to get this vaccine. 

Talk to your primary care doctor for more info.