Dust allergy of the eyes on the rise

In the last five to seven years, dust-caused eye allergy cases have risen by nearly 30 per cent, according to Dr Ajantha Chakravarty, head of the Ophthalmology department at Manipal Hospital.

Bikers suffer

People riding two-wheelers and children are especially susceptible to allergy due to exposure to dust and pollen.

Many chronic mild allergy cases were being noticed now, she added. Some of the symptoms that were seen were itching, watery eyes and mild reddish discoloration.

Dr Elankumaran of Navshakti Nethralaya observed a rise of 25-30 per cent in eye allergy cases. Although the peak was from February to May, when the pollen count in the air was high, there were people coming with dust allergy and problems of dry eyes even now.

“Dust causes itching and if there are bigger dust particles in the eyes, there are chances that a person may rub the eyes and cause scratches. The scratches can cause ulcer, which can lead to wound and if it gets infected, the condition can get complicated,” says Dr Bhujang Shetty of Narayana Nethralaya.

In rare cases, where the allergy was neglected, people continuously rubbed their eyes. The incidence of developing Keratoconus (thinning of cornea) was high in such condition, which resulted in vision distortion, says Dr Elankumaran.