Preventing sore eyes: Good hygiene can help stop the spread of virus

Good hygiene is the best way to prevent sore eyes.

Sore eyes or viral conjunctivitis is a frequent complaint during the rainy season. It is an inflammation or infection of the thin, clear covering of the white part of the eye called the conjunctiva. Blood vessels inside the conjunctiva become irritated and swollen, causing the eye to turn red.

According to Asian Eye Institute Cornea and External Disease Specialist Dr. Sharlene Noguera, sore eyes is highly contagious as it is caused by adenovirus, a group of viruses that causes sore throats, breathing difficulties and the common cold.

“Sore eyes can easily be acquired through direct contact with hands contaminated with virus, touching objects or surfaces that are contaminated by the virus and swimming in a poorly maintained pool. That is why it is important to always wash hands with soap and clean water, sanitize hands using 70% ethyl alcohol and minimize hand-to-eye contact.”

Sharing personal items like contact lenses, sunglasses, makeup and towels with other people should be avoided. It is also best to launder towels and pillow cases and disinfect door knobs, hand rails or surfaces that may have come in contact with people who have sore eyes.

Affecting one or both eyes, sore eyes is often characterized by eye redness, itching, sandy feeling in the eye, watery to pus-like discharge and stuck eyelids when waking up. It clears up on its own in seven to 10 days. To relieve discomfort, you can apply cold compresses and eye lubricants. Meanwhile, severe cases may require anti-inflammatory eye drops.

Dr. Noguera, however, warns people against self-medication, “Consult an eye doctor before using any eye drops and never use breast milk or urine on the eyes. Doing so may make the condition worse. Likewise, some eye drops have mild steroids that may cause an increase in your eye pressure. Abnormally high eye pressure may lead to glaucoma.”

“There are different types of conjunctivitis like allergic and bacterial, and each type has different causes and treatment. It is important to pinpoint the cause to determine the proper way to deal with it,” she adds.