KARACHI: As cases of conjunctivitis surge in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and other urban areas of the country’s Sindh province, medical experts and doctors advise patients to refrain from self-medication to cure the condition.
Conjunctivitis, commonly known as “pink eye,” is an inflammation or infection of the conjunctiva, the clear, thin tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid and covers the white part of the eye.
According to Healthline, the condition can be caused by various factors, including viral or bacterial infections, allergies, irritants, or underlying health conditions. Conjunctivitis typically results in symptoms such as redness, itching, tearing, discharge, and sometimes blurred vision.
During the monsoon season, the heightened moisture in the air facilitates the spread of the ailment, leading to a surge in cases among residents of the coastal city of Karachi and other regions within Sindh. On September 1, the director-general of the provincial health department issued a preventive advisory to curb the transmission of conjunctivitis in the wake of a “widespread surge” in cases of the disease.
“The disease is highly prevalent in Karachi these days as around 20 percent of the patients visiting the out-patient departments (OPDs) of hospitals are suffering from it,” Dr. Shayan Shadmani, consultant ophthalmologist and eye surgeon at Karachi’s South City Hospital, told Arab News.
“Many people infected with the disease are not seeing a doctor, while others are resorting to self-medication which can prove injurious to the patients’ eyes, therefore, people should avoid self-medication.”
Dr. Shadmani emphasized that conjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease akin to COVID-19, adding that it primarily spreads through direct contact with an infected person. He dispelled the misconception that the virus is transmitted merely through eye contact with an infected individual.
Dr. Misbah Ul Aziz, a specialist in ophthalmology at Karachi’s Hashmani Eye Hospital, explained that since the disease is caused by a viral infection, it typically heals on its own after a specific duration.
“The virus is caused by weather conditions and spreads through flies and mosquitoes during the rainy season. As soon as the condition changes, the disease will also cease to exist,” he said.
Dr. Irshad Memon, the director-general of health in Sindh, noted that although there wasn’t compiled data on the exact number of patients with pink eye, the rising frequency of doctors treating the condition served as a clear indicator of its prevalence within the region.
