Ever since I was diagnosed with genital herpes about five months ago, I've had problems with my eyes. Some days they feel swollen and look as if I just woke up. I've also noticed some small bumps on the inside of my eyelids that were not there before. I've gone to two doctors and an eye doctor, all of whom said my problem wasn't ocular herpes because the pain would be very severe. Is that always the case? Do you think I should get another opinion?

K.

Ocular herpes is an inflammatory condition triggered by the same virus that causes both genital herpes sores and cold sores of the lip. However -- and this is very important -- ocular herpes almost always affects only one eye. You indicate that you are having problems with both eyes, which, in my experience, would seem to make ocular herpes extremely unlikely. However, regarding the issue of pain, I would not necessarily expect patients with eyelid lesions from herpes to experience significant pain.

Whether or not your eye discomfort stems from ocular herpes, given that you do not mention receiving any sort of diagnosis, it is probably a good idea to see another ophthalmologist to determine exactly what your problem is and how best to treat it.