Symptoms and complications of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus in Patients Admitted to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Since in patients with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO), intraocular involvement is common and sometimes leads to eye-threatening complications, the aim of this study was to determine the symptoms and complications of herpes zoster ophthalmicus in patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed through convenience sampling among 26 patients with herpes zoster ophthalmicus admitted to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol during 2009-2016. Variables such as age, gender, involved eye, associated disease, and associated symptoms were evaluated in patients diagnosed with herpes zoster ophthalmicus. FINDING: The mean age of the patients was 61.6±16.3 years. Half of patients (50%) were male and the left eye was involved in 15 cases (57.7%). Hypertension was observed in 11 cases (42.3%) and diabetes was observed in 9 cases (34.6%). Pain was observed in 23 cases (88.5%), and erythema and skin lesions were the most commonly observed symptoms in the patients, each with a frequency of 15 (57.7%). Six patients (23.1%) were normal in the ophthalmologic examination and complications were observed in 20 cases (76.9%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that pain is the most common symptom of herpes zoster ophthalmicus and eye involvement is associated with complications in most cases