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Recent research has discovered that the shingles vaccine may offer benefits beyond preventing shingles itself. For patients with glaucoma, this news is particularly important because the vaccine appears to reduce inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation plays a key role in glaucoma progression.

How Does This Relate to Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is not just about eye pressure. Research shows that chronic inflammation in the eye contributes to the damage of retinal ganglion cells (the nerve cells that send visual information to your brain). This inflammatory process involves immune cells and inflammatory proteins that can worsen vision loss over time, even when eye pressure is controlled.[1][2][3]

The shingles vaccine has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation throughout the body. A recent study of nearly 4,000 older Americans found that people who received the shingles vaccine had lower levels of inflammation and showed signs of slower biological aging compared to those who didn't get vaccinated.[4] This reduction in inflammation may help protect against diseases where inflammation plays a harmful role—including glaucoma.

Additional Benefits Beyond Inflammation

The same research found that the shingles vaccine was associated with:

• Lower levels of chronic inflammation in the body

• Slower aging at the molecular level

• Better overall biological aging scores

These effects were most pronounced within three years after vaccination but continued beyond that timeframe.[4]

Importantly, multiple large studies have also found that people who received the shingles vaccine had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia -- up to 20-32% lower risk compared to unvaccinated individuals.[5][6][7][8][9][10] This suggests the vaccine may protect brain health in multiple ways.

What Should You Do?

If you are 65 or older, you are eligible for the shingles vaccine through most insurance plans, including Medicare. The recombinant shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is given as two doses, two months apart, and is highly effective at preventing shingles.[11][12]

Talk to your primary care doctor about whether the shingles vaccine is right for you. While we cannot say the vaccine will directly prevent glaucoma progression, reducing inflammation in your body may support your overall eye health as part of your comprehensive glaucoma care.

Important Reminders

• The shingles vaccine does not replace glaucoma treatment

• This vaccine is a preventive measure that may offer additional health benefits beyond preventing shingles

• Most people experience mild side effects like arm soreness or fatigue that resolve within a few days

References

1. Glial-Mediated Immune Modulation in Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications. Zong F, You J, Wu H, Wang X. Frontiers in Immunology. 2025;16:1640110. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1640110.
2. Inflammation in Glaucoma: From the Back to the Front of the Eye, and Beyond. Baudouin C, Kolko M, Melik-Parsadaniantz S, Messmer EM. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research. 2021;83:100916. doi:10.1016/j.preteyeres.2020.100916.
3. The Pivotal Role of Inflammatory Factors in Glaucoma: A Systematic Review. Lin B, Li D. Frontiers in Immunology. 2025;16:1577200. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1577200.
4. Association Between Shingles Vaccination and Slower Biological Aging: Evidence From a U.S. Population-Based Cohort Study. Kim JK, Crimmins EM. The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2026;:glag008. doi:10.1093/gerona/glag008.
5. Impact of Herpes Zoster Vaccination on Incident Dementia: A Retrospective Study in Two Patient Cohorts. Scherrer JF, Salas J, Wiemken TL, et al. PloS One. 2021;16(11):e0257405. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257405.
6. Varicella-Zoster Virus Reactivation and the Risk of Dementia. Polisky V, Littmann M, Triastcyn A, et al. Nature Medicine. 2025;:10.1038/s41591-025-03972-5. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-03972-5.
7. The Association of Herpes Zoster and Influenza Vaccinations With the Risk of Developing Dementia: A Population-Based Cohort Study Within the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Lophatananon A, Carr M, Mcmillan B, et al. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):1903. doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16768-4.
8. A Natural Experiment on the Effect of Herpes Zoster Vaccination on Dementia. Eyting M, Xie M, Michalik F, et al. Nature. 2025;641(8062):438-446. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08800-x.
9. Herpes Zoster Vaccination and Dementia Occurrence. Pomirchy M, Bommer C, Pradella F, et al. JAMA. 2025;333(23):2083-2092. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.5013.
10. Recombinant Zoster Vaccine and the Risk of Dementia. Tang E, Ray I, Arnold BF, Acharya NR. Vaccine. 2025;46:126673. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126673.
11. Vaccines for Preventing Herpes Zoster in Older Adults. de Oliveira Gomes J, Gagliardi AM, Andriolo BN, et al. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2023;10:CD008858. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008858.pub5.
12. Herpes Zoster Vaccines. Harbecke R, Cohen JI, Oxman MN. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2021;224(12 Suppl 2):S429-S442. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiab387.