Los Angeles, CA – Mention the word “herpes” and most people think of painful sores around the mouth or in the genital area. But herpes can also affect the eyes, causing swelling, redness, watery eye discharge, sensitivity to light, or even blisters on the eyelids.

In some cases, ocular herpes or herpes of the eye can cause severe scarring of the cornea, the transparent dome-shaped membrane that covers of the eye. Scarring of the cornea can lead to vision loss or legal blindness. In fact, in the United States, ocular herpes is a leading cause of corneal blindness, with more than 500,000 individuals having a medical history of recurrent ocular herpes.

Scientists at the Discovery Eye Foundation in Los Angeles recently announced progress in their understanding of ocular herpes and infectious blindness. From their state-of-the-art laboratories on the campus of UC Irvine in Orange County, foundation researchers are working tirelessly to better understand the herpes virus, and develop new methods to protect the body from its effects. Advancements have also been made in developing a new vaccine that would eventually prevent someone from contracting the herpes virus of the eye and genital tract.

For 38 years, the Discovery Eye Foundation has been funding leading-edge research to combat vision problems and blindness. In addition to herpes, the foundation also supports potentially groundbreaking research involving other eye-related disorders such as keratoconus, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and others.

“The Discovery Eye Foundation has approached the study of ocular herpes in several different ways,” said Anthony Nesburn, M.D., F.A.C.S., who is Medical Director of the Discovery Eye Foundation and vice chair for research of the Ophthalmology Department of UC Irvine. The herpes simplex virus is quite complex and we are examining how the virus gains access to the nerve cells, how it becomes and remains latent or dormant in the body for a lifetime, and why it flares up again.”

According to Dr. Nesburn, there are two common types of the herpes virus, which are: the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), and the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2). The HSV-1 is usually responsible for herpes of the mouth, lips and facial area while the HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes. However, either type can be found in either area of the body.

“The Discovery Eye Foundation is funding a research program to combat the blinding effects of ocular herpes virus infection, which is related to the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 of the genital tract, he said. “The research and technology being used by our foundation for ocular herpes may be applicable to the prevention of genital herpes one day.”

According to Dr. Nesburn, infection with herpes results in a lifelong “latent” infection that can result in repeated recurrences which can be quite serious, especially for people in under-developed countries with limited medical access or those with compromised immune systems. He said the foundation’s innovative herpes research has proven so promising that it has generated additional major funding from the National Institutes of Health and private sources.

The Discovery Eye Foundation’s current herpes research projects:

  • Drs. Steven Wechsler and Dale Carpenter, supported by the Discovery Eye Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have made progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of ocular herpes including its latency, reactivation, recurrence, and corneal scarring. The scientists continue to gain an understanding of LAT, the major virus gene active during herpes latency, including its central molecular role in keeping the virus latent between attacks. They are looking for ways to eradicate the lifelong latent infection.
  • Dr. Lbachir BenMohamed, whose research is being funded by the Discovery Eye Foundation and the NIH, is investigating how the herpes simplex virus escapes our natural immune system, which is another way the virus remains a lifelong concern. Understanding this process and harnessing the immune system to fight the virus could lead to therapies to eradicate this chronic infection
  • Drs. Anthony Nesburn and BenMohamed are currently developing a novel vaccine that would provide an effective and less costly means of preventing and treating ocular herpes.
  • Drs. Wechsler and James Jester have developed a powerful new approach using three-dimensional microscopes to understand how herpes infection causes corneal scarring. Funding for this project was provided by the Discovery Eye Foundation and the NIH. This approach may well lead to new ways to save the vision of those with ocular herpes a major cause of corneal blindness worldwide.

Founded in 1970 by Rita and Morris Pynoos, the Discovery Eye Foundation is dedicated to finding cures and treatments for corneal and retinal eye disease. As a vital catalyst for discovery and research, the foundation works to provide the public with up-to-the-minute and relevant information through patient outreach and patient care programs.

For more information about the Discovery Eye Foundation, please call (310) 623-4466 or visit our website at www.discoveryeye.org

Erika Maya
Ballantines PR
erika@ballantinespr.com
Tel: 310 454 3080
Cell: 310 850 0309