Herpes zoster ophthalmicus, contralateral hemiplegia, and recurrent ocular toxoplasmosis in a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related complex.

A 42-year-old man presented with herpes zoster ophthalmicus on the right side. He was found to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related complex. Two weeks later he developed toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in the left eye. He also presented later with left hemiplegia, which was probably caused by herpes zoster arteritis. Nine months after the retinal lesion resolved he developed another area of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis adjacent to the first lesion. Herpes zoster may be the first presentation of acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related complex in a young healthy individual. Ophthalmologists are encountering patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome who may have multiple organisms as the cause for their ocular infections and this might pose a treatment dilemma. The combination of herpes zoster ophthalmicus and ocular toxoplasmosis in this patient makes this case unusual.