Exclusive: Conjunctivitis Cases Surge; Symptoms, Prevention Measures - Expert On All You Need To Know

While conjunctivitis can be caused by allergies or bacterial or viral infections, there is an unprecedented surge in viral conjunctivitis cases in Delhi-NCR this year. Also known as 'pink eyes', conjunctivitis needs to be tackled carefully as it can be very contagious.

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Conjunctivitis, commonly known as 'pink eye,' is a highly contagious infection of the eye that spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces and eye secretions. It can be caused by allergies or bacterial or viral infections. The symptoms include itching, watery discharge, purulent discharge, swelling of lids, mild redness, and sometimes, individuals may experience blurred vision or glare when seeing lights. Across Delhi-NCR, particularly, doctors report a surge in cases of conjunctivitis this year. Dr Parul Sharma, Director & HOD, Ophthalmology, Max Hospital, Gurgaon, shares, "While monsoons are a perfect time for viruses and bacterias to multiply, which is because of heat, humidity and also waterlogging, the outbreak of viral conjunctivitis this time is much higher than previous years. The frequency of conjunctivitis is unprecedented, almost double the times of previous years, and the virus seems to be more contagious."

Conjunctivitis: Unprecedented Surge In Cases In Delhi-NCR

"We are seeing about 10 to 15 cases of conjunctivitis in an OPD of 100 patients every day. So almost 10% of patients come to OPD for various eye diseases, the incidence is high. But these are only people who are severe and seek medical help coming to OPD, lot of mild conjunctivitis patients are taking online video consults and they may not come to OPD, so the actual number would be higher than what is coming to the OPD," shares Dr Parul Sharma.

Symptoms Of Conjunctivitis

Some of the symptoms of conjunctivitis include:

• Eye itching
• Watery discharge
• Purulent discharge
• Swelling of eyelids
• Mild redness
• Blurred vision or glare when seeing lights (rare symptoms)

Conjunctivitis: Precautions To Take

For the prevention of conjunctivitis, one needs to maintain hand hygiene. "Viral conjunctivitis doesn't spread through the air or by looking at somebody, so you have to break eye-hand contact. If somebody with conjunctivitis touches any surface, it gets contaminated and if you touch that surface and touch your eyes, that's how you take the infection to your eyes. To break the cycle, hand hygiene is very important. So you sanitize your hands every two hours or wash them with soap and water. So that's number one, hand hygiene," says Dr Sharma. 

She adds, "Number two is, you should not touch your eyes. Number three is you must avoid public places. Any person who has conjunctivitis should not go to public places. Do not wear contact lenses if you have the slightest redness or watering or discharge of the eye. Very largely populated, crowded swimming pools have to be avoided. It's better to wear spectacles or goggles because that prevents you from touching your eyes inadvertently with your fingers."

In a nutshell, here are the precautions to follow, as prescribed by Dr Parul Sharma:

• Wash hands or sanitize  frequently (every 2 hours) 
• Do not touch eyes (wearing spectacles/googles helps in not touching eyes accidentally) 
• A person with conjunctivitis should self-isolate for a few days till watering and discharge stops
• Do not share towels, handkerchiefs, or bedding with a person having conjunctivitis at home 
• Avoid wearing contact lens
• Do not self-medicate
• Avoid public places, especially, public swimming pools