Objective To explore the effect of penciclovir combined with red light irradiation in patients with herpes zoster. Methods A total of 78 patients with herpes zoster admitted to Macheng Dermatology Prevention and Control Institute from October 2021 to December 2023 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into control group and experimental group by random number table method, with 39 patients in each group. The control group was treated with penciclovir, and the experimental group was treated with penciclovir combined with red light irradiation. The rehabilitation process, psychological mood and pain degree, sleep quality and quality of life, and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups. Results The time of blister, scab, pain relief and recovery in the experimental group was shorter than that in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the scores of SAS, SDS and NRS in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the PSQI score of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group, and the SF-36 score was higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). The total effective rate of treatment in the experimental group was 97.44%, which was higher than 84.62% in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion For patients with herpes zoster, penciclovir combined with red light irradiation can accelerate the rehabilitation process of patients, reduce the pain degree of patients, improve their adverse emotions, and improve the quality of life of patients, which is worthy of clinical application.