With the monsoon season around, not just rain, even several eye infections will be at our doorsteps, such as conjunctivitis, eye styes, etc. However, the right guidance from an expert and adequate care can play a crucial role in addressing any eye-related infection. eHEALTH collaborates with Dr. Ajay Sharma, Founder & Chief Medical Director, Eye-Q Vision Pvt Ltd to bring a set of suggestions for our readers this entire monsoon.
Eyes are highly susceptible to infections in the rainy season, so prioritise personal hygiene quotient to avoid an eye infection during this season. Follow these eye care tips this monsoon season so that you can keep your eyes as healthy as possible.
Avoid Hand-to-Eye Contact – Washing our hands and avoiding hand-to-eye contact are equally important in preventing any infectious disease. Avoid rubbing eyes as our fingers are covered in germs that can easily transmit the infection. Always wash your eyes with cold water whenever you return from an outing.
Clean Eyewear – It is important to keep your eyewear clean during the monsoons. If using pouches or cloth to clean them, please clean them frequently to avoid any fungal growth. Never keep the contact lenses out in the open and clean the cases frequently.
Eye Make-Up – Make-up comes out easily during the rainy season, so always use waterproof eye make-up and never share it with others. Never share lens containers with anyone and clean properly before and after use. Avoid using any cosmetic products during infection.
Conjunctivitis – If someone at home is down with conjunctivitis, wash your hands after administering drops. Avoid sharing your towel and similar personal items with others because infections mostly spread through hands, clothes and other commonly touched items. Avoid crowded places and swimming during epidemics of conjunctivitis.
Avoid Waterlogged Areas – Avoid waiting near waterlogged areas as bacterial infections prowl around unhygienic water. It is also vital to protect our eyes from rain splashes as they bring dirtiness that is harmful to our eyes.
Avoid Wind and Dust – If you get caught in a dust storm, get inside and rinse your eyes immediately. Debris in the eye can lead to various infections and can irritate the eye in general, so use eye protection like glasses when exposed to wind or dust.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Ajay Sharma, Founder & Chief Medical Director, Eye-Q Vision Pvt Ltd has completed his medical education from PG IMS Rohtak (1985) and S.R. Safdarjung Hospital (1995). In 1996, he held a fellowship from L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), Hyderabad. Driven by the vision to deliver cost-effective eye care solution at not just metropolitan but also tier-II, tier-III & Tier-IV levels, he established Eye Q Vision Pvt Ltd in 2007.
Currently, this chain comprises 44 hospitals across North & West. He is not just a thought leader, but also a man with great ideas. He vision to bring an apex institute on the lines of LVPEI and Shankar Netrayala in his home state of Haryana for the benefit of the poor and common man.
As a firm believer in technology, he has been an enthusiastic adopter of the latest technologies in ophthalmology. He holds the achievement of conducting over 1 lakh surgeries. As a multifaceted person, he also has expertise in all surgeries of the anterior segment, including Glaucoma, Squint, Oculoplasty, and Refractive Surgery. He started 100-bed Multispeciality Sheetla Hospital and Eye Institute (P) Ltd in 1999 and gave space to 30 specialists to work and provided employment to 130 employees in that year.
He is amongst the pioneers in introducing phacoemulsification in 1996 in Haryana at a time when the best of the surgeons across the country was in transition to stitch less cataract surgery. He also introduced LASIK in Haryana in 2000. In 2005, he became the first refractive surgeon in North India to start ARTISAN Phakic IOL and act as a trainer to other aspiring doctors. Dr Sharma is a pioneer in the field of Microincision Cataract Surgery with the Implantation of Microincision Lens in 2007 by procuring Stellaris Phaco System from Bausch & Lomb. He is also amongst the first to start Accommodative Intraocular Lens Crystalens in India in 2009 and also amongst the first to start Toric IOL’s and Toric multifocal.
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