Rainy season: eye infections on the rise

Doctors advise citizens to take precautions to avoid catching disease

RAWALPINDI:

Monsoon season may be attractive and pleasing, but it also brings along a plethora of health problems including eye infections. The rainy season makes a large number of people susceptible to eye infections as the moisture content in the air creates a favourable condition for bacteria, viruses and other germs to grow and multiply.

As monsoon rains continue unabated, a large number of people including women and children suffering from eye infections, allergies and conjunctivitis have started making a beeline for hospitals in Garrison City.

Ophthalmologists say that allergies and eye infections are a common occurrence during these rainy days as, according to them, the air gets filled with bacteria and viruses. Doctors have advised citizens to take precautions to avoid catching the disease during the current weather conditions.

According to Ophthalmologist Dr Tahir Farooq, conjunctivitis is an eye infection that spreads rapidly from one person to another. “Generally, this infection gains momentum in the summer or rainy season. During moist weather conditions, conjunctivitis spreads very rapidly but it can be prevented by taking preventive measures,” he said.

He said that people must frequently wash hands and avoid hand-to-eye contact to keep eye infections at bay.

The doctor said that people should avoid rubbing their eyes with fingers as they contain germs and can lead to an infection. He said that people should not share towels, napkins etc as doing so can raise the risk of suffering from eye infections.

Naveed Shams, a patient suffering from conjunctivitis, said that seven out of 11 persons in his house have fallen prey to conjunctivitis.

Patients suffering from the disease feel severe irritation in their eyes and it becomes very difficult to open their eyes in the sunlight. “The patient's eyes become red and water starts discharging from the eyes. I have been visiting the doctor for the last three days, but I did not get any sort of relief,” he said adding that he was following the precautionary measures said by the doctor so that other members of his household would not catch the disease.

According to the data obtained from three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi, the number of patients with conjunctivitis has increased in the rainy season as compared to normal days

As per statistics released by the three allied hospitals, 12 more patients suffering from conjunctivitis have landed in hospitals in the last 24 hours.

Eye disease expert Dr Mudassar said that conjunctivitis can also be caused by dust rising after the rain. He said that polluted air and excessive use of fast lighting devices were also the cause of this disease.

He said that citizens have to show responsibility to prevent the spread of conjunctivitis. He said that the water discharged from the patient's eyes is toxic and when a patient cleans it with his hands, it becomes infected and the disease could be transmitted to other people through shaking hands.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2022.