Runny eyes in cats

I was asked this question by Liz Mac;

Question;
Feline Herpes - My son has taken in two rescue cats who were living feral for some months. The male cat, Oberon (10months -white black moggy) has feline herpes of one eye. His eye weeps constantly and my son bathes it regularly with his sterile contact lens solution. The female sister cat, Callisto constantly licks it for him too!!!
The Rescue Centre advised him that there was no cure but it could not pass to humans.
Is there any known treatment which could help this condition please.

Answer;
Persistently runny eyes are a common complication if a cat has been infected with cat flu as a kitten, which it sounds like Oberon may have been. There are 3 different things that can cause cat flu symptoms; feline herpes virus, feline calicivirus and chlamydia . The only way to tell which one it is is for your vet to take swabs from the eyes and mouth. These swabs should be taken when the symptoms are flaring for the best chance to find the viruses. There is no real treatment for herpes or calicivirus unless the cat is very badly affected, however, there are some treatments for chlamydia , which is why swabbing can be a good idea. The runny eyes are a consequence of the damage the viruses cause and it can be consistent throughout the cats life, or flare when they are stressed ( in a similar fashion to the coldsore virus in people). Generally treatment is not required, so long as the eye is open, comfortable and not sore. Regular bathing of the eyes is a good idea as the excess tears are a good place for bacterial infections to set up. It is very important that both cats are vaccinated against cat flu, as this will protect the other cat from becoming badly infected also, and can reduce the flare ups in Oberon.
If the eyes do become sore for him, then do take him to the vet as these viruses can cause corneal ulcers and other problems which need immediate treatment. Feline herpes cannot pass to people.

I hope this helps!
Cat