A new study has stated that there is an increased risk of stroke among people who have had shingles infection that affects the eyes.

The virus that causes chickenpox causes ocular shingles and it is an infection of the eye and the skin around the eye.

Researchers examined about 658 people who were diagnosed with ocular shingles and 1974 people who did not have the infection. None of the participants reported a history of stroke when the study began.

During the study that spanned for a year about 8.1 per cent of the people with shingles developed stroke and 1.7 per cent of the people without shingles. It was reported post study that people with shingles had 4.5 times more chances of having a stroke as compared to people who do not have shingles.

Jau-Der Ho with Taipei Medical University in Taiwan said, "Shingles may represent a marker for increased risk of stroke."