Wear a pair of sunglasses or specs whenever you leave the house in the monsoon season. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock) While the monsoons are enjoyed by many, the season also brings with it bacterial and viral infections because of the change in weather and the rise in humidity. As such, it becomes important to take care of your health.
Kanchan Naikawadi, managing director and preventive healthcare specialist at Indus Health Plus says in the monsoon season, the eyes get affected. “While there is enough awareness about mouth, nose, and hand protection in the Covid-19 pandemic, many may be unaware about protection of their eyes,” she says.
Naikawadi shares some easy precautions which one can take during monsoon for good eye care. Read on.
* Stay hygienic: Always keep face towels, napkins, handkerchiefs, any cloth that you bring near your eyes and your hands clean. Don’t share your personal items like towels, glasses, contact lenses etc., with anyone.
* Wear a pair of sunglasses or specs whenever you leave the house: They prevent the eyes from making contact with any foreign substance and infectious agents like viruses and bacteria.
* Treat your eyes with a lot of care: Wash your eyes with cold water daily. Don’t rub your eyes harshly after waking up or removing contact lenses as that can permanently damage the cornea.
* Try to not wear contact lenses during monsoon: They can cause extreme dryness in the eyes and can result in redness and irritation. Keep your glasses clean and dry.
* Avoid waterlogged areas: They contain a lot of viruses, bacteria and fungus that can transfer and cause harm.
* Eat a balanced and healthy diet: Keep your body healthy and immune system intact to fight any infection.
“Infections that generally happen during the rainy season are not just scary but pretty harmful, too,” says Naikawadi.
Try to not wear contact lenses during monsoon. They can cause extreme dryness in the eyes. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
The most common ones are:
1. Conjunctivitis or eye flu: It is the irritation or inflammation of the whites of our eyes. It is extremely contagious and spreads through even the littlest of contact. Although the infection goes away in a couple of days, it is necessary to keep your eyes covered.
2. Stye: An infection when a red painful lump forms near the edge of the eyelid that may look like a boil or a pimple. Styes are filled with pus and can sometimes form on the inner part of the eyelid, too. A stye will start to disappear on its own in a couple of days but applying warm washcloth regularly will help with the pain and discomfort. Don’t try to pop the boil.
3. Corneal Ulcer: It is an open sore on the cornea and results in pus discharge, severe pain and blurriness of vision. It is a severe infection that can result in loss of vision and permanent blindness if not treated properly.
“It is important to go for comprehensive eye check-up on a yearly basis as it enables your eye doctor to observe and evaluate the health and condition of the blood vessels in your retina, which are a good predictor of the health of blood vessels throughout your body,” Naikawadi says.
For more lifestyle news, follow us: Twitter: lifestyle_ie | Facebook: IE Lifestyle | Instagram: ie_lifestyle
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
