Evading the ‘Midas Touch’!
You may have some time or the other suffered from redness of the eye, itching, swelling of eyelids, along with excessive watering of eyes and mild tenderness; these may have been accompanied by crust formation on the eyelashes and sides of your eyes especially after sleeping. At that time someone would have told you that you are suffering from Aashob-i-Chashm or Aankhein aana.
These are actually symptoms of conjunctivitis, red-eye which is one of the most common and contagious eye conditions that brings a patient to an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) or a general practitioner.
The redness generally occurs within the inner portion of the eyelids and white portion of the eyeball, known as conjunctiva — hence the name conjunctivitis — due to the accumulation of blood in the small blood vessels. Generally there is no critical effect on the sight, but vision might get hampered due to the unwanted discharge which requires regular washing.
If you have by chance contracted conjunctivitis, take precautions so that you do not spread it to others
Though anyone could be affected, individuals, who have low immunity levels, are more susceptible to allergies during the changing weather, dust and other environmental factors. Ophthalmologists associate the onset of winter and the beginning of the monsoon with the rapid spread of conjunctivitis in Pakistan.
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are two of the main types of infectious conjunctivitis that are common in Pakistan along with the allergic version of the inflammation. Lack of hygiene, sanitary conditions and overall cleanliness, both personal and general plays a vital role in the outbreak or curbing of this contagious ocular infection. Once the outbreak occurs hand-washing and avoiding the dreaded touch plays a pivotal role in limiting the spread. There are a number of bacteria and viruses that are associated with the onset of conjunctivitis.
It is, however, more critical to understand and adopt the practices that will help reduce the chances of developing conjunctivitis in the first place and/or reduce any further spread to the other eye or to your loved ones, once it has already occured.