No. Most of the time it isn’t. It tends to be a mild infection that is an uncomfortable nuisance in 9 out of 10 cases. However for some, it can leave long lasting nerve pain (called postherpetic neuralgia) or be very serious, for example: If you get shingles in or around the eye, it can lead to loss of vision. So if someone gets a shingles-like rash around their eye or on their face, it is important that they see a doctor as soon as possible; Rarely shingles can cause inflammation of the brain, hearing problems or weakness in the muscles of the face; Severe skin infections by bacteria can happen on top of the viral rash.