Conjunctivitis outbreak sends eye drop, rose water prices soaring in twin cities

3,000 patients visit major eye hospitals in just three days; experts advise avoid direct light, contact with others

RAWALPINDI:

As the outbreak of conjunctivitis (pink eye) spreads across Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the prices of related medicines — including eye drops and rose water — have surged in the open market, while essential eye drops for conjunctivitis have reportedly disappeared from local stores.

With the rising cost of these treatments, the number of conjunctivitis cases is increasing at an alarming rate. In the past three days, nearly 2,964 patients, suffering from conjunctivitis, have visited Rawalpindi's three major eye hospitals: Holy Family Hospital, District Headquarters Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, and the Cantonment Hospital.

Private hospitals and local clinics are also seeing long queues of patients. A large number of families across the twin cities have been affected, yet neither the district Health Department nor the district administration has initiated any awareness campaign or issued a public notice regarding the issue. This lack of action is contributing to the growing number of cases.

As the situation worsens, local pharmacies have raised the prices of all related eye drops that were previously available for Rs90 but now being sold for as much as Rs160.

Dr Inayat, the Deputy Medical Superintendent at BBH, emphasised that conjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease. If an individual in a household, office, or school is infected, the infection can quickly spread to others, he added.

“The infection can be transmitted through handshakes, shared towels or utensils, or by close contact with an infected person. To prevent further transmission, doctors recommend washing the eyes with clean water, applying prescribed eye drops, and avoiding touching eyes with hands.”

Medical experts have advised the patients to wear dark sunglasses to protect their eyes from sunlight and bright lights, and apply ice compresses for relief.