Your eyes are a very special part of your body and very easy to take for granted. You can take care of them and protect them but sometimes there are some common eye conditions that can occur and if not treated quickly can lead to something more sinister.
In much of the developing world, blindness is commonplace and very often easily treatable had it been detected in its early stages. For most people in these countries, it is too late to treat. Lucky for us we have very easy access to clean water, good hygiene, specialists and medication.
In the last week, there have been reports of raised incidences of dangerous eye infections (Keratitis) relating to contact lens wearers in the South East of England.
Let’s understand some common eye complaints and how best to treat them.
Contact lens related infections.
Contact lenses are the best invention for correcting vision. You can run in them, go to the gym or do upside down yoga without worrying they will fall off. They match whatever you are wearing that day and in my case, I feel more confident wearing my lenses than I do with my glasses on.
All contact lenses can harbour bad bacteria. Especially soft lenses. These are transferred to and from your hands to your eyes and picked up during the day from the atmosphere. Cleaning them properly is essential. Keratitis is a bacterial infection on the cornea that can leave a scar. Left for too long untreated it will scar the cornea so much to the point it will need to be transplanted.
DO
• Wash and dry your hands properly before handling your lenses.
• Use reputable contact lens cleaning and storing solutions as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Let your eyes free to take in some air. Have a day or two a week wearing your glasses instead of contacts. This also allows the cornea to return to its natural shape.
DO NOT
• Over wear your lenses. Ask your optician what is the maximum you can leave your lenses in each day. Over wearing lenses leads to irritation (iritis) leaving your eyes craving oxygen and looking blood shot.
• Swim, shower or bathe in your lenses. Water borne bacteria can become trapped in the lenses and cause havoc and damage to your eyes.
• Share lenses with someone else. Yes, this actually happens.
• Wear your lenses if you have a eye infection. Start a new pack of lenses once your infection has cleared for at least 3 days.
• Sleep in your contact lenses or wear them if they are damaged.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis – mostly commonly referred to ‘pink eye’ – isn’t just for school kids. Anyone can develop conjunctivitis as it occurs when your immune system is low usually when you have a cold. Consult your pharmacist for some chloramphenicol eye drops or golden eye drops. These will quickly clear the infection. Do not share towels with anyone else and avoid using eye make up. Remember you could be infecting your make up brushes and reinfect your eyes again. Always keep eye make up tools and products clean and replace them within 6 months of opening.
Blepharitis
This is a crusty, scaly or grainy appearance at the base of your eyelashes. It is most common in people who already have dandruff, psoriasis, dry skin, poor hygiene and those sensitive to chemicals and cosmetic make up. Treat using warm moist compresses and clean using a gentle baby shampoo and wet cotton balls. Avoid any irritants and remove make up daily. It may be caused by diabetes and acne rosacea. Always seek medical advice if you are unsure especially if it’s getting worse or not better within a week.
Stye
These are lumps that form usually on the margin of the eye lids. They are caused by a blockage of the glands leading to swelling. Bacteria is often the cause. Speak to your optician or pharmacist who can give you some antibiotic ointment, again, like chloramphenicol or golden eye.
Foreign body in the eye
Usually an eyelash gets into the eye and causes irritation. This and most other things like dust will wash out of the eye quite easily with sterile saline or clean water. Remove your lenses if you wear them and let your eyes rest for a while. Sometimes debris or grit will get lodged in the cornea or surface of the eye. If this does not wash out easily, seek medical help immediately especially if there is sharp pain, blurred or lost vision or blood on the eye.
Bloody eye
The eye has many tiny blood vessels. Occasionally one will rupture and cover some of the white part of the eye in blood. You feel no pain and quite often, you are unaware until someone points it out to you. This is quite normal and will clear by itself without any intervention. It just looks unsightly. If it happens quite often then seek medical advice as there might be a more worrying underlying condition.
If there is anything that worries you about your eyes, if you feel pain or your eyes are becoming blurry, get it checked out by a professional. We are lucky to have easy access to the excellent care of eye specialists.
Written by Bhavash Padhiar
Twitter: @bhavashmedical
Facebook: @wimblederm
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