Herpes zoster ophthalmicus Herpes zoster ophthalmicus Herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and also known as ophthalmic zoster is a disease characterised by reactivation of dormant varicella zoster virus residing within the ophthalmic nerve (the first division of the trigeminal nerve). This condition is an important subtype of shingles, representing 15% of all cases. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is transmitted via direct contact or droplets. Varicella zoster virus is a DNA virus which produces acidophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies. The virus is neurotrophic in nature. The frontal nerve is more commonly affected than the nasociliary nerve or lacrimal nerve. Anterior uveitis develops in 40–50% of cases with
Rare disease treated, are excluded from their definition. The definitions used in the medical literature and by national health plans are similarly divided, with definitions ranging from 1/1,000 to 1/200,000. Because of definitions that include reference to treatment availability, a lack of resources, and severity of the disease, the term "orphan disease" is used as a synonym for "rare disease". But in the United States and the European Union, "orphan diseases" have a distinct legal meaning. The United States' Orphan Drug Act includes both rare diseases and any non-rare diseases "for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing