Vaccination against Varicella Zoster Virus in the Spanish ophthalmological community survey. Is it time for a paradigm shift?

Abstract Background: There are currently two authorized vaccines against Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) that have proved to be safe and effective in the prevention of VHZ. Ophthalmologists commonly treat Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus (HZO) and its complications. Therefore, ophthalmologists are indeed in a privileged position to advocate for VZV vaccination. Our aim was to find out the current knowledge among Spanish ophthalmologists regarding the effectiveness of the available vaccines against VZV.Methods: A Google-Forms questionnaire was created and used as the survey platform for this study. It was an anonymous online survey of 16 questions, which was shared among Spanish ophthalmologists-in-training and consultants from April 27th, 2022, to May 25th, 2022. Results: The survey was completed by a total of 206 ophthalmology professionals from all subspecialties. We obtained responses from 17 of the 19 regions of Spain. Fifty-five percent of the respondents agreed that VZV is a frequent cause of vision loss. However, 27% of the professionals were unaware of the existence of vaccines against VZV and 71% of them did not know in which cases it could be indicated. Only 9 ophthalmologists (4%) had ever indicated vaccination against VZV in their patients. Despite this, 93% considered important to recommend vaccination against VZV in case it proved to be safe and effective. Conclusions: Considering the sequelae, complications, and the existence of safe and effective vaccines against VZV, vaccination of the target population could be considered an important public health measure. The time has come for ophthalmologists to take an active role in HZO prevention.