Purpose: To review two cases of acute retinal necrosis in adults due to varicella zoster virus despite prior shingles vaccination.
Methods: Retrospective chart review.
Patients: A 62-year-old man and a 64-year-old man with unilateral acute retinal necrosis who had shingles vaccinations 16 and 7 months before their ocular symptoms.
Results: Polymerase chain reaction confirmation of varicella zoster virus in the anterior chambers of both patients. Both patients had good responses to oral antiviral therapy and topical and/or oral steroids.
Discussion: These two cases demonstrate that singles vaccination is not an absolute protection against varicella zoster virus-related acute retinal necrosis. However, such vaccination may reduce the severity of the acute retinal necrosis.