What is Herpes Keratitis?

Herpes keratitis is a viral infection of the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two major types of the virus:

• Type I is the most common and primarily infects the face, causing the familiar "cold sore" or "fever blister."
• Type II is the sexually transmitted form of herpes, infecting the genitals.

 

While both Type I and Type II herpes can spread to the eye and cause infection, Type I is by far the most frequent cause of eye infections. Infection can be transferred to the eye by touching an active lesion (a cold sore or blister) and then the eye.