Tips to protect eyes from heat

From viral conjunctivitis to corneal ulcer, the merciless summer can cause all sort of eye-related problems. Water, eye exercises and other remedies can help protect them.

Sanjay Dhawan, director, ophthalmology at Fortis Healthcare, shares some of the common eye problems during summer and tips on how to ward them off.

Viral conjunctivitis: If your eyes turn red, get pricking sensation and if they start watering, you are suffering from viral conjunctivitis. Since it spreads fast, try not to contact people for a few days. You also need to maintain good hygiene by washing hands and the eye area with clean water.

Keep handkerchiefs and towels to yourself and do not allow others to use them. Use antibiotic eye drops and eye ointments, but only after consulting experts.

Stye: In this case, your eyes swell up. You will experience pain and redness will occur due to bacterial infection on the eyelids. Hygiene is important to get rid of stye. Maintain it with a hot compress. Analgesic tablets and antibiotics will also help to give some relief from pain.

Dry eyes syndrome: The symptoms of this condition includes intense itching, fluid discharge from eyes, redness and soreness or dryness in the eyes. Eyes need to be washed thoroughly, lubricating eye drops will provide relief too. Wear good quality eye shades that will help to protect eyes from sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

Corneal ulcer: The infection can be a result of complication of conjunctivitis or use of contaminated contact lenses. It can be bacterial, fungal or viral. It leads to severe pain, redness, watering, blurring of vision, photophobia and a yellowish white spot on the cornea. You must immediately visit a doctor if you are infected.

Dhawan also suggests some dos and don'ts.

Sunglasses: Opt for sunglasses that cover whole eyes. Shades block out 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation and screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light.

Make sure your sunglass lenses are perfectly matched in colour and free of distortion and imperfection. Gray-coloured lenses reduce light intensity without altering the colour of objects, providing the most natural colour vision. See a sunglass lens on how much UV radiation it absorbs.

Contact lenses: Your contact lenses should also be protected from intense heat. If you wear UV protective contact lenses, you still need to wear a pair of sunglasses to protect the area of the eye that is not covered by the lens.

No air-conditioning (AC): Use of AC should be avoided in case you are suffering from any kind of eye infection.

Cold Water: Splash cold water on your eyes at regular intervals. This relaxes stressed eyes and keeps your eyes hydrated. Avoid rubbing eyes. Stay away from dusty areas.

Eye exercise: Exercise is good for relieving the stresses off from eyes. The best eye care exercise that you can practice is to close your eyes and press them with your palms. You should do this eye care exercise daily for about 5 to 10 minutes.