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Medical Author:

Jay Robert Woody, MD

Jay Robert Woody, MD

Dr. Jay Woody is a diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine and is an Attending Physician at Parkland Health and Hospital System, Children's Medical Center of Dallas as well as several other north Texas facilities. He is a well-known and widely published authority in the field of emergency medicine and the former regional medical director of a freestanding emergency medicine practice.

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Medical Editor:

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

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The doctor may prescribe an antiviral eyedrop such as trifluridine. Acyclovir (Zovirax), another antiviral drug, can be taken by mouth. Treatment should be started as soon as possible. Infections that cause deep inflammation may require use of corticosteroid drops and drops that dilate the eye, such as atropine (Atreza) or scopolamine (Scopace). Occasionally, to help speed healing, an ophthalmologist may gently rub the surface of the cornea to remove infectious virus and viral antigens that contribute to the keratitis. Since most cases of HSV epithelial keratitis resolve spontaneously within three weeks, the rationale for treatment is to minimize damage and scarring. Antiviral therapy, topical or oral, is an effective treatment of ophthalmic herpes infections. Patients with frequent recurrences of ocular HSV may be placed on a long-term regimen of oral antiviral medication at a maintenance dose to reduce this frequency.

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