Red Eye Flu: Symptoms, Diet To Build Immunity And Prevention Tips

Red Eye Flu: Are you experiencing blurry vision, itching in your eyes, watery discharge, and swelling? These are the symptoms of red eye flu, and you need to immediately take your hands away from your eyes. 

Usually, we see a trend of rising cases of conjunctivitis during monsoon. Currently, we are witnessing a spike in the number of cases of flu in India. Therefore, we connected with Dr T S Sujatha, General Ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital and Dr Saurabh Choudhary, CEO ICARE Eye Hospital, to understand preventive measures to protect your eyes from the flu.

What Are The Symptoms Of Red Eye Flu?

Dr Sujatha and Dr Choudhary shared a few symptoms of red eye flu that you need to be aware of. Check out the list to see if you have any,

Swelling in the conjunctiva (thin membrane that covers the white part of the eye) and eyelids.

• Irritation, discomfort, and itching in the eyes.
• Redness in the white portion of the eyes which make them appear bloodshot.
• Crusts might form around eyelashes and eyelids, especially after you wake up from sleep.
• Excessive tears or watery discharge from eyes.
• Burning sensation in the eyes. 
• Yellow or green discharge from your eyes when you wake up. 
• Blurry vision due to inflammation and discharge. 

Which Food Is Good For Strong Immunity?

Dr Sujatha recommended consuming a nutrition-packed diet. It should be rich in vitamins C, A, and E. Here is how you can ensure that your diet has all these vitamins.

• For vitamin A, your meals should have carrots, red peppers, and sweet potatoes
• For vitamin C, your diet should include grapefruits, tomatoes, oranges, and kiwi.
• For vitamin E, you should eat mangoes, apricots, and cantaloupe.

The expert also suggested prioritising sleep for 7-9 hours at least. It will help you build your immune system and battle infections. 

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How To Prevent Eye Flu?

The experts shared preventive measures to protect themselves from the red-eye flu:

• Keep your hands off your eyes, or else, you run the risk of introducing your eyes to different types of infections.
• You should wear contact lenses after washing your hands and lenses. They can carry the infection and worsen the condition.
• You should always disinfect your surroundings.
• You should practise frequent hand washing at regular intervals so ensure you are not touching your face with dirty hands.
• You should avoid sharing eye drops, contact lenses, bedding, eyelashes, eye makeup, towels, and other things that can carry germs from one person to another. 

When To See A Doctor For Eye Flu?

We asked the doctors to share medication that people suffering from the flu should take. They were advised to first consult an eye doctor, let them examine the condition of the flu, and only take prescribed medicines. 

The doctors strictly advised against self-medication. They recommended consulting a doctor even if you feel slight discomfort in your eyes.

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