A man from Kentucky alleges he suffered permanent shingles vaccine eye damage, which has severely impacted his quality of life, in a lawsuit against the maker of Zostavax.

The Zostavax eye damage side effects has allegedly caused him to suffer severe vision loss, with the man claiming Merck & Co. failed to disclose the full severity of possible vaccine reactions.

Plaintiff Glen R. says he was diagnosed with optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve allegedly caused by the shingles vaccine eye damage. Glen had allegedly developed this serious eyesight loss soon after receiving the Zostavax vaccine, routinely used to prevent shingles.

Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. It often manifests in patients over the age of 50, appearing as red and uncomfortable skin lesions.

Glen says he had received the shingles vaccine on Sept. 16, 2016. But he alleges he  developed serious vaccine reactions soon after. According to the Zostavax lawsuit, Glen developed a severe herpetic rash over the left side of his face and left eyelid.

Along with being diagnosed with shingles, Glen also allegedly developed serious shingles vaccine eye damage. More specifically, Glen says he was diagnosed with conjunctivitis in his left eye and was also diagnosed with optic neuritis. This condition had reportedly caused severe vision damage in his left eye, with Glen also diagnosed with pneumoconiosis.

Glen says he is continuing to suffer from the long term effects of serious shingles vaccine eye damage and will need medical care for some time to come. Glen alleges that he opted to file legal action against Merck after discovering that the company either knew or should have known about potential serious shingles vaccine eye damage.

Overview of Shingles Vaccine Eye Damage

The Zostavax vaccine was approved in May 2006, and was initially approved to prevent shingles in patients over 60 years of age.

The FDA approved the vaccine based on the results of the Shingles Prevention Study (SPS), which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 2, 2005. This study, funded by Merck, indicated Zostavax had successfully prevented shingles in patients.

The Zostavax vaccine contains a weakened chickenpox strain, which helps the immune system develop defenses against shingles. According to the patient information sheet released by Merck, the potential side effects patients can suffer a variety of vaccine side effects including fever, joint pain, muscle pain, nausea, and shingles occurrence.

However, patients have reported suffering more serious vaccine complications like paralysis, brain damage, and even death, which prompted two black box warning changes to the Zostavax warning label.

In 2016, the label received additional warnings to include potential shingles vaccine eye damage injuries like eye inflammation. Other injuries submitted to the FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) include gastrointestinal disorders, rashes, myalgia, allergic reactions, and necrotizing retinitis.

Even though shingles vaccine eye damage injuries can be potentially devastating to patients, Merck allegedly failed to warn patients about these side effects. Glen is seeking damages in his Zostavax lawsuit for counts of negligence and failure to warn.

Glen’s Zostavax lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2848, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging serious injuries like shingles vaccine eye damage.

This Zostavax Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-04995-HB, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.