Eye flu: how to avoid it, and why not to buy drops over the counter
Dr. Swati Goyal · 18 May 2024 · 4 min
Eye flu is very common, especially when the weather changes. The eye is a sensitive organ, so protection starts with the simplest thing of all — keeping your hands away from it.
Avoiding it
- —
Do not rub the eye, under any circumstances.
- —
Do not keep splashing water into the eye.
- —
If someone at home has it, keep your distance for a while — and keep young children a little away from them.
If symptoms appear
As soon as you notice redness, itching, watering or stickiness, see your nearest eye specialist.
Avoid home remedies and drops bought straight from a chemist. What gets handed over often contains a steroid, and that can flare the infection up — after which the eye flu takes far longer to bring under control.
One thing that causes confusion
When the season turns, allergic conjunctivitis also appears, and it produces almost the same symptoms in the eye. This is where an eye specialist matters — telling whether the trouble is allergy or infection, because the two are treated differently.
Whatever the trouble in the eye, the advice is the same — use drops on your eye specialist’s advice, and finish the treatment they set out.