Are FML eye allergy drops safe for a herpes simplex patient?
AUG 20, 2014
Question:
I have just been diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis. My optometrist prescribed FML drops to be used for a week. Are these drops safe to use when I have had herpes simplex previously? I’ve never had herpes simplex in my eyes, though.
Answer:
Herpes tends to break out in adults in the same spot on the body because the virus takes up residence in a nerve root and appears when the body’s immune system becomes vulnerable. FML is a good anti-allergic drop and is commonly used for eye allergy although ophthalmologists might start with a specific anti-allergic medication such as Patanol. You have probably read on the package insert (or on the internet) that FML is to be avoided in herpes eye disease. If you have never had herpes in the eye, then FML is unlikely to activate the virus as it is probably not in your nerve root that supplies the eye.