Understanding Eye Flu Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Relief with Eye Drops

India has seen an exponential rise in eye flu cases in the last few weeks. The monsoon weather creates perfect conditions for the virus or bacteria to spread. The surge in eye flu cases is alarming so the best thing is to spread more awareness about preventive measures. In this blog, we will dig deeper into the symptoms of eye flu in India and how you can avoid getting affected by it. You will also get to know the impact of weather, social settings, and environmental factors on eye flu transmission. 

Let us get started. 

Eye flu is also called Conjunctivitis. It is a highly transmissible infection that affects the conjunctiva, the tissue that covers the white part of your eye. There are a lot of reasons why eye flu spreads rapidly. 

Eye Flu Reason in India

What causes eye flu is one of the most common concerns shared by people. Here are several factors contributing to the spread of eye flu.

Weather: In the monsoon season, the humidity and moisture are ideal for the infection-causing virus and bacteria to thrive. The weather becomes perfect for the infection to spread from one person to another. We cannot control the weather but we can control other things which can protect us from the infection. We will read about that later in this blog. 

Crowded spaces: India is a densely populated country and is therefore ideal for the rapid spread of eye flu. Since eye flu spreads easily through the respiratory droplets or eye secretions of an infected person, crowded places like schools, offices, and public transport can become places of easy transmission. In crowded places, the chances of contamination are extremely high because surfaces are more likely to be contaminated. 

Lack of Awareness about Prevention: One of the major reasons for the rise in eye flu cases is the lack of general awareness about how to prevent the infection. Many times, eye flu is transmitted due to the sharing of personal items like towels and cosmetic products. This is why it is essential to spread awareness about the prevention of eye flu. 

Delay in medical intervention: In India, flu in the eyes spreads rapidly due to a significant number of people disregarding or dismissing the initial symptoms of this condition. Most of the time, people dismiss the initial symptoms of eye flu as mere irritation. This leads to delays in treatment and care, which ultimately causes the infection to spread to more people. 

You should be aware of the main mode of transmission of eye flu. If an infected person touches their eyes and then touches a surface, that surface becomes a source of infection. So avoid touching your eyes, especially in crowded places or when you are around someone who is infected. 

What are the eye flu symptoms?

Eye flu symptoms may range from mild to severe. 

Here are mild symptoms of eye flu

Itching in the eyes: Itching in the eyes is a common eye flu symptom. This irritation may last from a few days to a couple of weeks. This is just a mild symptom but you should try to avoid rubbing the eyes. Simple home remedies can be done for itching due to eye flu. 

Excessive watering of eyes: It is common for the eyes to water excessively due to irritation and many other factors. This is one of the mild symptoms. If you are just having excessive tearing but no other serious symptoms, you can use home remedies. 

Redness of eyes: This symptom also gives the disease the name “Pink eye”. Redness of the eyes is a common symptom that is a result of itching and other things. If you have red eyes due to eye flu, you may try warm compresses. 

Swelling in eyelids: Many times, the eyelids swell up when you have eye flu. It is also one of the signs through which people identify that someone has eye flu. If you have swelling in your eyes, you may try a warm compress as a home remedy. 

Severe Eye Flu Symptoms

Pus or discharge from eyes: If you notice yellow or greenish pus or discharge from your eyes, it may point toward a bacterial infection. A bacterial infection may require immediate attention. Make sure you observe the symptoms and get medical help before they become serious. 

Hypersensitivity to light: In severe cases of eye flu or conjunctivitis, the eyes become extremely sensitive to light. This condition is also called photophobia. If you have any signs which resemble this condition, you may need to get immediate medical attention. 

Persisting symptoms: If your eye flu symptoms last for more than a week or show no signs of improvement, you may need to see an eye doctor. If the home remedies fail to resolve the infection in a week, you should seek medical attention. 

Eye Flu Treatment

Mild symptoms of eye flu can be reduced by using home remedies. 

Home remedies for eye flu

Warm compress: If you want to reduce the symptoms of eye flu and reduce the redness, you should use a warm compress. Just take a clean towel or washcloth and soak it in hot water. Wring out the excess water and put the now warm towel over your closed eyes. Just use plain water and do not add anything to it.

Eyewash: You should try to wash your eyes with clean water. Do this several times a day to clean your eye and remove any irritants. It is pretty simple but very effective. 

Eye lubrication with eye drops: Since eye flu causes a lot of irritation, you may need to get lubricating eye drops for your eyes. You will be able to prevent dryness and other symptoms that occur in mild cases of eye flu. You can get them easily. 

Avoid rubbing eyes: Eye flu can cause a lot of irritation and may compel you to rub your eyes. However, rubbing the eyes may worsen your symptoms and may cause more irritation to your conjunctiva. This is why you should avoid rubbing your eyes if you have eye flu. Use other home remedies to manage the irritation. 

Follow hand hygiene: One of the major reasons for the spread of eye flu is not following hand hygiene. You should wash your hands with soap and water after you touch your eyes. Avoid touching your face and eyes in the first place. Make sure that you don’t share a pillow, towel, or cosmetics with anyone around you. This will stop the spread of infection to those around you. 

Eye Drop For Eye Flu

If you have severe symptoms of eye flu, you should visit your doctor. If your doctor feels that your eye flu infection is severe, they may prescribe antibiotic eye drops to treat the infection and stop the symptoms from getting worse. If left untreated, severe eye flu cases may become a medical emergency. This is why it is always better to consult your doctor when you feel that your eye flu symptoms are not going away with home remedies. 

Conclusion 

To curb and prevent the spread of flu in eyes in India. it is imperative to spread awareness about the causes of eye flu and how to prevent it. By following the aforementioned preventive measures and home remedies, eye flu can be stopped from spreading rapidly. 

Awareness about hygiene and getting medical attention can play a pivotal role in stopping the spread of infection in the masses. Prevention is the best line of approach while dealing with transmissible infections like eye flu. 

Stay safe! 

If you think you may have any underlying health conditions that are affecting your vision, you should contact us at O-Lab to enquire about the relevant tests.