Don’t use that towel

Almost one out of ten is afflicted with conjunctivitis in Lahore, eye specialists blame floods.

LAHORE: The city is rife with conjunctivitis for the past three weeks.  Almost one out of ten is afflicted.

Ophthalmologists are of the opinion that the virus has spread due to the floods. Ophthalmologist Waqar Hussain said, “The virus moves rapidly, spreading from one person to another. I suggest people are cautious while meeting.”  Mayo Hospital’s eye-specialist Abdul Haseeb said, “People travelling from flood-hit areas to the city are the carriers of this disease. This virus should end in two or three weeks.”

Hussain said that one should not use the towel or clothing of the infected. He also said that it is a myth that the disease is spread by gazing into the eyes of an infected person. “If a colleague is afflicted, request him not to come to work,” he said, adding that the infected should self-impose a ‘social boycott’. Another ophthalmologist, Faisal Rasheed, reiterated that family members should avoid using the towels of infected family members. He added that though the infection does not spread through hand shakes, body contact is not advisable.

Conjunctivitis is spread by contaminated objects.  Though it is a virus, it can get worse if not treated.

“The disease ends in four to five days but the patient should use anti-bacterial drops to avoid further infection,” said Haseeb.

He said that the symptoms of the disease include redness and itching while in some case the eyes can also get wet. If the situation worsens, the eyes start producing pus which causes the eye lids to stick together while sleeping, he said.

Haseeb said that in normal cases washing the eyes with cold water is “the best thing”. He also said that in severe cases antibiotics are prescribed. In most instances, he said, the eyes return to normal in five days.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2010