‘Treating 100 cases a day on average’: Conjunctivitis patients on the rise

Noida/Ghaziabad: Viral fever, cough and cold are common during the rainy season, but conjunctivitis cases have also surged this monsoon. Ophthalmologist in GB Noida and Ghaziabad reported a spurt in conjunctivitis cases and warned people against self-medication, which can severely damage the eyes.The doctors at District Combined Hospital in Sector 39, Noida, said in the first week of July, the outpatient department (OPD) saw only 4-5 cases of conjunctivitis daily, but the number is now 80-100 per day. They said the continuous rains have been triggering more viral infections, including viral conjunctivitis, among all ages. They added that if neglected, conjunctivitis can cause prolonged blurred vision due to deposits in the cornea.Patients with conjunctivitis usually feel itchiness or irritation in the eye, which turns red or pink. Other symptoms include watering, pain and swelling of eyelids. There is usually a sticky discharge from the eyes. In severe cases, patients can have intense swelling and can not open the infected eye. The number of cases has also increased at private hospital OPDs. “The eye OPD is reporting over 100 patients a day. The number suggests that the infection is spreading rapidly due to regular rains and increase in humidity. People affected in the floods have also caught the infection,” said Dr Ajit Kumar from Sharda Hospital.“We are educating people to avoid self-medication. Buying eye drops over the counter might subside mild symptoms, but management becomes tough in severe infections. We are also seeing a lot of viral fever cases, which lowers the immunity in patients, who may get eye infections then,” said Pramit Mishra, unit head at Fortis Hospital, Greater Noida.In Ghaziabad, the MMG Hospital and District Combined Hospital in Sanjay Nagar confirmed the trend. Dr Manoj Chaturvedi, chief medical superintendent at MMG Hospital, said, “There has been a spurt in viral infections, including eye flu cases. Maintaining hygiene is key against such contagion. Initially, people get infected in one eye, but the infection spreads in the other eye soon. If we are close to infected persons, we should maintain adequate distance and hygiene.”