Make sure to protect your eyes this Holi

With the festival of colours, adequate care for the eyes is a must. Going wild has now become an essence of Holi as most of us seem to enjoy throwing colours without realising what the consequences could be.

During the celebrations, we would still need to observe precaution especially when it comes to eye care.

Nowadays, it has been observed that vegetables and flowers dyes are no longer being used to make colours.

On the contrary, synthetic chemical colours are being widely used which have an adverse effect on eyesight. By not taking care of your eyes while playing Holi, you could suffer from irritation and/or allergies, infections and sometimes even temporary blindness.

Here is a list of do's and don'ts for you to keep in mind before you play Holi.

Do's

Layer up

The skin around your eyes is the most sensitive-apply a generous amount of coconut or almond oil around your eyes before you go out.

Bring the shades on

Apart from that cool look with your sunglasses, your eyes stay protected too.

Wash it away

If the color accidentally enters your eye-Cleanse your hands, gently lower your face, and try opening your eyes and blink frequently in the water between your palms. Do not splash water into the eye, since that can aggravate the injury.

Visit the Doc

In case of persistent redness, watering, discharge, itching, discomfort, trauma, Bleeding -Immediately consult an eye care professional.

Stay precautious

It's indeed in the benefit to have the overall precautionary measure to not to smear the colors anywhere near the eye. In case your attempts fail, keep your eyes and lips tightly shut if you are attacked on your face.

Don'ts

Never rub

In case colours enter into your eyes refrain from rubbing your eyes, as this may cause irritation and more damage to your eyes.

Skip the balloons

Refrain from using water balloons. These are the most dangerous and cause blunt trauma to the eye which may lead to bleeding, lens subluxation or dislocation, macular edema or retinal detachment.

This may lead to loss of vision or even loss of an eye. These are all eye emergencies and need to be looked into immediately by an ophthalmologist.

Keep your hands off

Do not try to remove any particulate matter using a handkerchief or tissue; it will only make things worse.

Beware- those with spectacles

If you happen to know spectacled people to be careful while smearing the colours on their face, and it's better to ask them beforehand, or else you could even hurt the person with his/her own spectacles.

People wearing spectacles face a lot of trouble, even if they wear spectacles, the colour settles in the tiny spaces of the frame. Wearing rimless spectacles on Holi may cause it to break. Best to keep the fancy pair home!

Ditch your contact lenses

It is best advised to avoid contact lenses or opt for a daily disposable one as it may cause more harm than good. Due to its water-absorbing properties, contact lenses tend to concentrate any colored water that enters the eye increasing the risk of allergies and infections.

Do not hesitate to contact your contact lens specialist for further guidance.

(The writer is an assistant head - clinical services, Hyderabad)