Fighting conjunctivitis with dark glasses? Here is why you are wrong!

Conjunctivitis is a pretty common condition that causes redness and inflammation of a tissue layer covering the front of the eye.

It is a common perception that wearing dark glasses will stop the transmission of the infection. However, as per a report in The Times of India, wearing dark shades might give you some relief, but it doesn't stop the transmission.

The report cited doctors in Delhi who said that the condition usually spreads fast because the virus responsible for the infection tends to linger on surfaces for long and thus the infection can spread through any usual object that is infected, such as door knobs, furniture etc. Therefore, dark glasses are not a remedy.

Doctors advise against sharing things like laptops, computers, mouse, tables and phones. "If you touch such things, you should sanitise your hand and work area, like people used to do during the Covid crisis," Dr JS Titiyal, head of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS was quoted as saying in the report.

Also Read | Doctors keep an eye out for conjunctivitis cases in Bengaluru

Doctors also strongly advise against touching the glasses used or touched by an infected person.

Doctors are advising to work from home to avoid contact with people to curb the spread of the virus.

"Conjunctivitis is primarily transmitted through direct contact with the eye secretions of an infected person but you can also get infected if you touch your eye after touching a contaminated surface like doorknobs, door handles or bathroom sinks," the report quoted Dr Sanjiv Gupta, director and senior eye surgeon, I Care Centre. He also added that the dark glasses primarily helps protect the eyes from light and not to curb transmission.

Conjunctivitis cases have sharply risen in Bengaluru over the past three to four weeks, with doctors reporting a higher number and severity of cases.

While the rise in cases was expected this season, the numbers are much higher than usual. These are viral infections largely caused by adenovirus, and the variations this time could be due to some mutation in the virus, doctors said.

Though the disease resolves naturally for most, consulting a doctor early is important, Dr Rohith Shetty, chairman of Narayana Nethralaya, said. Patients with certain conditions like allergies, asthma and dry eyes and those who use contact lenses are more vulnerable to developing aggressive conjunctivitis, say doctors.