Eye Care During Summer & Monsoon

The eye is one of the most delicate organs of the human body. However, with change in season, it can become more sensitive, depending upon the kind of atmosphere it is exposed to. This includes the hot, dry summer air and polluted atmosphere; during the monsoon, with increase in humidity, our susceptibility to eye infections also increases. Hence, eye care during these months, becomes even more important. Most common eye problems observed during summer and monsoon include dry eye, conjunctivitis, eye allergies, styes, corneal ulcer & swimming pool conjunctivitis and other infections. Below are listed various problems of the eyes, their causes, symptoms and ways to treat them, all of which are readily available at Yashoda Hospital & Research Centre, Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad.

Dry Eye

Dry eye is a condition in which inadequate quantity or decrease in the quality of the tear film in your eye leads to an impaired tear film which makes it highly fragile and prone to breakage, eventually giving rise to dry spots in the cornea. Common symptoms include soreness, irritation, redness, gritty sensation, dry feeling and even oddly, excess watering of the eye. The causes of these can be overexposure to the dry, cold air and hot wind, lack of blinking and rest after prolonged hours of reading and working in front of any digital screen including computers, mobile phones and television.

Dry eye can be treated by using lubricants or artificial tear eye drops as prescribed by your eye specialist. A thorough physical examination by your ophthalmologist will reveal different types of underlying causes, calling for different treatments based on your symptoms of dry eye.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is a condition of the eye in which the conjunctiva, i.e., the protective membrane covering the surface of the whites in your eye and the back surface of your eyelids, is inflamed, causing it to swell and appear red in colour.

Its causes being many, conjunctivitis is one of the most common eye problems during these seasons. They include all kinds of allergies from dust, cosmetics, contact-lenses, pollens and even medicines and animals. The environment during the monsoon gets more conducive to the spread of viral infections and with your body’s immunity weakened, viral as well as bacterial infections in the eye tend to increase. Physical eye injuries from accidents, heat and radiation also give rise to conjunctivitis. Another common factor is overexposure to chemicals from cosmetics, contact lens solution and bleach in swimming pools, especially during summer.

The first thing to do after an eye infection is to avoid its spread through direct contact or rubbing eyes with your hands as well as avoiding sharing of basic essentials. In case of any emergency, home remedial first aids including washing your eye gently with clean water using cold compress and mild antibiotic eye drops must be practised. However, our experts highly recommend that you must consult an eye specialist immediately since self-medication can itself become a cause to worsen the case. In any case, you are advised to always use sunglasses if you have conjunctivitis, stop using contact lens immediately, avoid swimming before your eyes recover, keep distance from others and never share essentials such as towels, handkerchief, glasses or toiletries.

Eye Allergies

Eye allergies may be caused by various factors such as exposure to dust, heat, pollens and even direct sunlight, during the peak summer months.
Conjunctivitis is a highly common eye problem and among its various kinds, spring catarrh or vernal conjunctivitis is a type of conjunctivitis caused by allergy often seen in young boys during the summer and monsoon months.

The most effective treatment for any allergy is to first identify the source of it and either get rid of the causative agent or allergen or avoid it by all means. On thorough examination and diagnosis, our specialists will prescribe you antiallergy medication in a form of anti-histamines, mast-cell stabilising drugs and in very serious cases, steroids. Never attempt self-medication on steroids in any circumstance, without expert advice.

Styes

Styes are the infections of the eyelid glands which cause painful and pus-filled swelling at the eyelid linings. The bursting of the puss may relieve you of the pain. These may be caused by over straining your eyes by reading or excess screen hours and direct rubbing of eyes with unclean hands.

To treat styes, your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics or antibiotic eye drops and pain killers depending on your case for a couple of weeks to prevent its recurrence from the onset.

Trachoma

A corneal ulcer also known as keratitis, is an open sore on the cornea which is the thin, clear layer over your iris. Symptoms include redness, severe pain, watery eyes, pus discharge from your eye, blurry vision, swollen eyelids and a round white spot on your cornea. This can be caused by bacterial, viral or fungal infections. The herpes simplex virus that causes chickenpox also causes corneal ulcer. Although rare, mechanical injuries may lead to fungal infections such as Fusarium, Aspergillus or Candida. Keratitis is also caused by infection resulting from severe conjunctivitis, unhygienic use of contact lens or even certain traumatic episodes. Some common risk factors include use of steroid eye drops without expert’s advice, eyelid inflammation, eyelashes that grow inward or chemical burns or cornea injuries.

Although use of broad-spectrum antibiotic eye drops are recommended in case immediate help is not available, our specialists recommend that you seek expert help as soon as possible since the infection may spread and call for surgeries, and when not treated, lead to blindness.

Whom to consult?

Eye problems during the summer and monsoon months can be varied and certain cases such as the corneal ulcer is considered a medical emergency. The lack of proper treatment at the right time may lead you to lose some or all of your eyesight in a short span of time. However, you need not worry since our experts in the Ophthalmology Unit at Yashoda Hospital & Research Centre, Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad are here to give you the best eye care.
For any query on eye care during the summer and monsoon seasons, please reach out to us on our official website www.yashodahealthcare.com or book an appointment with our eye specialist, Dr. Arpit Pavaiya by calling us on 9810922042.
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