Common Causes Of Iritis

Shingles

Shingles is an infection caused by a virus called varicella-zoster, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Anyone who has been affected by chickenpox previously can develop shingles. This infection causes a painful rash to develop in one or more regions of the body. The most common place for shingles to develop is on the right or left side of the torso. However, the rash may form on the face and in the eyes. When this happens, it is called herpes zoster opthalmicus, and symptoms include eyelid blistering, swelling and redness of the eyelids, itchiness of the eye, light sensitivity, and blurry vision. Iritis can be a complication of shingles when it occurs in the eye. The immune system naturally has a response to the areas of the body affected by any foreign virus or bacteria. When shingles affects the eye, an inflammatory response by the immune system will also occur in the eye, resulting in iritis.