Eye disorders: understanding the causes, symptoms and management

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Pink Eye In Flu Season: Symptoms, Causes, Dos And Don'ts Of Conjunctivitis; Expert Weighs In

Conjunctivitis, pink eye, infection, and inflammation in the eyes are common in the flu season. With a sudden shift in the weather and pollution, the common cold in this season often causes a spike in the number of patients. While one can take medicines for cold and cough, prevention and treatment of pink eye or conjunctivitis is a task.

Therefore, we spoke to Dr Rituraj Baruah, Senior Consultant, Ophthalmology, Max Multi Speciality Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, to understand the dos and don'ts for patients with the common cold.

Symptoms Of Pink Eye Or Conjunctivitis

clean eye pink eye

According to reports, viruses that cause COVID-19, the common cold, and the flu can also cause inflammation and infection in the eyes. The patient's eye can turn pink or even red.

A few other symptoms of this condition include,

Discharge from eyes

Itchiness

Irritation

Causes For Pink Eye Or Conjunctivitis

There are two reasons for conjunctivitis - viral or bacterial. Viral often comes with watery discharge and itchiness. The condition can spread from one person to another as it is communicable. In the viral infection, both of your eyes can get infected and patients can even experience a burning sensation or redness in the eyes.

Bacterial pink eye is often caused by injury or infection in the eye. For example, many people get bacterial pink eyes due to contact lenses. In such a case, people experience thick yellowish discharge along with blurry vision and pain. This condition usually remains confined to the eye and does not spread.

Dos And Don'ts To Prevent Pink Eye Or Conjunctivitis

do not rub eyes conjunctivitis

If you are suffering from pink eye, here are a couple of things you should do,

Wash your hands first before touching your eyes and cleaning the discharge.

Use new cotton or eye buds to remove the discharge (Know All Abotu Vaginal Discharge) around the infected area several times a day.

The expert suggested using wet cotton balls so that the discharge wipes off easily without adding to pain or injury.

Throw away the cotton and sanitise your hands immediately after cleaning your eyes.

Wash pillow covers, bed sheets, towels, and napkins with hot water and detergent after you have recovered or stained any of the items. Wash hands after handling infected items.

If you wear spectacles, you should clean them regularly. You can clean the lens with warm water and soap to ensure germs and bacteria are killed.

Here are a couple of things you must avoid at any cost if you have a pink eye or conjunctivitis

Do not run or touch your eyes frequently, except for cleaning with cotton balls. If your hands are dirty, it can worsen the condition, and the infection can spread rapidly.

Avoid using the same eye drop for the infected eye and healthy eye. It will transfer the infection from the infected to the healthy one.

When you experience discharge or redness in your eyes, you should not wear contact lenses because it can add to the infection.

Do not use swimming pools in this condition because the germs in the water can worsen the condition, and will be infected for others as well.

If your eyes are infected or you have conjunctivitis at home, you must avoid sharing towels, napkins, makeup brushes, cosmetics, etc.

The pink eye needs to be examined by the doctor to ensure it gets treated properly. Dr Baruah suggested consulting an ophthalmologist to ensure that you get the right medicine for the eye and know the instructions to take care of it. A healthcare expert will also ensure that the infection does not spread and you recover without any issues in your eyes.

The First Signs Of Cancer You Might Spot In Your Eyes – From Floaters To Blurred Vision

CANCER can affect various different parts of your body, but it might not have occurred to you that it could affect your peepers.

Though very rare, there are about 850 cases of eye cancer diagnosed in the UK every year.

Persistent eye inflammation or spots on your eye or eyelid could be signs of rare eye cancer

The risk of the cancer affecting your peepers increases as you get older, according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

It said almost 25 per cent of people diagnosed with eye cancer are aged 75 or older.

The exception to this is a type called retinoblastoma, that usually affects children under the age of five.

Eye cancer can crop up both inside and outside the eye, as well as on the eyelids.

People with suffering from it won't always notice obvious signs.

In fact, eye cancer is most often picked up in routine eye tests.

But there are some symptoms you might be able to spot yourself.

According to CRUK, possible signs of eye cancer include:

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Bulging of one eye

Complete or partial loss of sight

Pain in or around the eye - though this is rare with eye cancer

A pale raised lump on the surface of the eye - either on the the thin, clear membrane that protects the white part inside the eyelids, called the conjunctiva, or the cornea, the transparent part that covers your pupil

Blurred vision

change in the appearance of the eye

lump on the eyelids or around the eye

Seeing spots or flashes of light or wiggly lines, often known as floaters, in front of your eyes

Loss of peripheral vision – you can see what is straight ahead clearly, but not what is at the sides

A dark spot on the coloured part of the eye - the iris - that is getting bigger

Eye irritation, red eye or chronic conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is also known as pink-eye.

It can give your peepers a pink or red tinge, cause swelling, make your eye watery or itchy and give you the persistent feeling there's something in it.

It usually clears up on its own, but you should see a doctor if you still have conjunctivitis symptoms after two weeks

When should I see a doctor?

Since eye cancer is so rare, it's likely that eye conditions other than cancer might be the cause of the above symptoms.

But they're still worth investigating, so you should flag them with your GP or an optometrist.

The early you pick up eye cancer, the easier it will be to treat it.

CRUK recommends writing down your symptoms, when they started, and how often you get them.

It also suggested taking note of anything that makes your symptoms worse or better.

How to protect your peepers

There are some factors that might increase your risk of eye cancer, according to CRUK.

Having blue, grey or green eyes may mean you're more at risk of developing eye melanoma, the charity said.

Having large numbers of moles can also raise your risk, it added.

Meanwhile, exposure to artificial UV radiation - which is emitted in sunbeds - can up our risk of eye melanoma, as well as squamous cell carcinoma of the eye.

And the human papilloma virus (HPV) - which is most known fro causing cervical cancer - may cause squamous cell carcinoma of the eye in combination with other factors.

The Skin Cancer Foundation suggested a series of simple things you can do protect your eyes.

Wear sunglasses year-round whenever you are out in the sun - choose a pair that block 99 to 100 per cent of both UVA and UVB light

Wear a hat with at least a three-inch brim to protect your face and eyes

Slather on SPF - including in the winter

Take extra care near water, snow and sand, as 80 per cent or more of the sun's rays reflect off of these surfaces

Be altitude-aware, as UV intensity increases with altitude - be sure to protect your peepers while skiing, snowboarding and hiking

Seek shade whenever possible, especially during times when the sun is most intense

Which Eye Drops Have Been Recalled? Full List Of Impacted Products From Multiple Rounds Of Recalls.

FDA warns against using 26 eye drop products due to infection risk

FDA warns against using 26 eye drop products due to infection risk 00:33

The FDA has expanded its list of eye drops recalled in 2023 because the products could be tainted with bacteria.

Store-brand products sold at retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Walmart are included in the latest recall, posted on Wednesday by the federal safety agency. The recall by Kilitch Healthcare India cited "safety concerns" after FDA investigators found unsanitary conditions at the facility where the products were made.

The FDA has cited a "risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness" in cautioning consumers against using the now-recalled products in late October. FDA investigators found bacteria in samples taken from the production plant, the agency noted in its warning. As of Nov. 13, Kilitch said it hasn't received any reports of adverse health effects linked to the recall.

Eye drops recalled in most recent round

Many of the eye drops are likely no longer in stores, as the FDA said CVS, Rite Aid and Target were removing the products from store shelves and websites.

The recall notice urged distributors and retailers to stop selling the products and for consumers to return them.

Amazon removes 7 eye drop products from site after FDA warning

Amazon said its website was no longer offering seven eye drop products after the FDA warned the e-commerce giant that their distribution violated federal regulations and raised public health concerns.

The pulled products named in the agency's letter are: Similasan Pink Eye Relief, The Goodbye Company Pink Eye, Can-C Eye Drops, Optique 1 Eye Drops, OcluMed Eye Drops, TRP Natural Eyes Floaters Relief and Manzanilla Sophia Chamomile Herbal Eye Drops.

"We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations. The products in question have been investigated and removed," an Amazon spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday in an emailed statement.

Eye drops recalled in previous rounds

The FDA's warning prompted Cardinal Health in early November to recall six Leader brand eye products, while Harvard Drug Group recalled Rugby Laboratories brand eye drops.

Those warnings included the agency in August advising people not to buy "Dr. Berne's MSM Drops 5% Solution" and "LightEyez MSM Eye Drops – Eye Repair," saying they presented serious health risks, including vision- and life-threatening infections.

The recalls are among eight such actions involving the FDA and eye drops this year, starting with news in early February that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was investigating a cluster of infections related to artificial tears.

Federal inspectors found dozens of problems at Indian manufacturer Global Pharma Healthcare amid the multistate outbreak of rare and extensively drug-resistant bacteria linked by eye drops made by the company, which were branded as EzriCare and Delsam Pharma.

The CDC ultimately identified 81 patients in 18 states. Of that that number, four people died, 14 reported vision loss and another four had to have their eyeballs surgically removed, the agency said in its last update in May.

How can I make sure my eye drops are safe?

Eye drops must be sterile to be safe, and therefore need "much finer oversight on the manufacturing side" to ensure the products aren't contaminated, Carri Chan, a business professor at Columbia University, recently told CBS MoneyWatch.

The FDA maintains an updated list of eye drop products that people should get rid of. Users can also consult an eye drop manufacturer's website to check if a product has been recalled.

Dr. Christopher Starr, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said people should seek medical help immediately if they have adverse reactions to eye drops, such as discharge, redness or pain, which can indicate an infection. People should also check a product's expiration date before use.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Kilitch at regulatory@kilitchhealthcare.Com or Velocity Pharma, Kilitch's distributor, at regulatory@velocitypharma.Com. Eye drop users who experience adverse reactions can file a report with the FDA online or by downloading and mailing a pre-addressed form.

—Elizabeth Napolitano contributed to this report.