The National Eye Institute (NEI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $15 million grant to the NYU Langone Medical Center, who will spearhead a five-year, 60-center clinical trial to evaluate new treatment options for herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) — a form of shingles that can seriously and permanently affect the eye.
Called the Zoster Eye Disease Study (ZEDS), it will reportedly investigate the longer-term use of suppressive antiviral medication to reduce complications of HZO, which can lead to loss of vision, itching above the eye, chronic pain, and even stroke.
Dr. Elisabeth J. Cohen, professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone, will serve as principal investigator on the study. Cohen's research has reportedly been focused on this disease after suffering from it herself in 2008, resulting in a permanent impairment of her vision.
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Source: NYU Langone Medical Center