
Is It Possible For Herpes HSV-1 Infection To Spread From Lips To Eyes?

It can spread through fingers or close contact.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Health care Magic
I am Dr. Dadapeer an ophthalmologist and I will be answering your question.
I reviewed your history.
HSV infection is because of reactivation of dormant infection. This reactivation occurs because of stress, fever....
The active lesions affecting the skin are infective and can spread by close contact.
Hence it can spread by rubbing fingers to others and also other parts like eyes.
HSV spreading to other parts by nervous system is rare and is almost not possible. The reactivation of infection is limited to one dermatome supplied by one nerve and will not involve the other dermatome.
Hope this answers your question and the information is helpful to you.
Thank you


The infection can spread only during active infectious stage.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
I reviewed your history and understand your concerns.
The HSV lesions are infective only in the phase of eruption. This lasts for 3-5 days during each recurrent infection.
The virus will not remain in the lips or skin all the time. It will go back to the nerve and remains there till next reactivation.
Hence you cannot spread infection all the time, hence no need to be worried.
Hope this answers your question and the information is helpful to you.
Thank you


The only mode of spread is close contact.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thank you for the follow up question.
The information you see from official medical sites like pubmed is trust worthy. Most of the times blogs written by non medical people may not be accurate.
However no need to be worried as the mode of spread by close contact as I had described is the only mode of spread.
Hope this answers your question and the information is helpful to you.
Thank you


Since nerve supply for both are different it will not spread from nerves.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thank you for the follow up question.
Herpes infections once acquired remain in one dermatome and gets reacivated during stress, infections, fever... These once reactivated will affect the area supplied by that particular dermatome only.
Since the dermatome of eye is different from that of lip it is unlikely to involve eye.
If some person is having lesions affecting eye and lips it indicates two primary infections involving two different dermatomes.
Hence in your case I don't find any reason to worry regarding spread of infection to eye.
Hope this answers your question and the information is helpful to you.
Thank you

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