Air pollution: How to protect your eyes from smog and toxic pollutants

Air pollution can cause serious health problems, including breathing difficulties, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. It can affect your eyes, which are sensitive and prone to irritations from allergies, chemicals, and pollutants in the air. As the pollution levels increase, many people experience problems like dry eyes or allergic conjunctivitis, burning sensation, itchy and sore eyes, sensitivity to air and sun and mild blurring of vision, etc.

Air pollution and eye care

Here are a few precautions you can take to help minimise the risk of eye infections from smog and other air pollutants.

• Avoid exposure to harmful pollutants and stay indoors, especially in the early hours of the morning when the pollution levels are at their peak - this is the golden rule.
• If you have to step out, make sure you wear protective eyeglasses and shades which will help minimise your exposure to the pollution causing agents.
• Wash your eyes thoroughly with clean, running water every morning, after reaching home from school/college/work and before going off to sleep.
• Wash your hands often and avoid rubbing your eyes even if particulates enter them.
• Use lubricating eye drops prescribed by eye specialists.
• Do not wear contact lens and eye makeup if your eyes are itchy or feeling sore.
• Apply a cool compress to help reduce inflammation. 
• Do not use screen devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, for long hours. Make sure that you get adequate periods of rest to avoid eye fatigue, dry eyes, and computer vision syndrome.
• Eat a healthy diet consisting of foods rich in omega 3s and antioxidants, such as fish, green leafy vegetables, carrots, spinach, almonds, walnuts, and berries - these are extremely good for the eyes.
• Install a high-quality air filter or air purifier system at home to help protect your eyes and overall health from pollutants.
• Avoid using decongestant eye formulation without medical supervision. 
• See an ophthalmologist if you have red eyes, discharge, constant foreign body sensation or allergic symptoms.

Take a pledge today to contain pollution, after all, every small effort matters and everyone needs to do their own part urgently in this matter!  

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Brachytherapy To Treat Tumour In The Eye

Cancerous growth within the eye can now be treated with embedded radioactive plaques, instead of removing the eye. The cost effective treatment is  called ocular Brachytherapy. This procedure costs now Rs. 10,000 to Rs, 15, 000 as the radioactive iodine-125 seeds are manufactured in India's BARC centre in Mumbai. Earlier, the treatment was expensive, as the seeds were imported from Europe.


Ocular Brachytherapy is used to treat retinoblastoma in children & choroidal melanoma in adults. Retinoblastoma occurs one in every 30,000 live births & choroidal melanoma in 6 in a million & is more predominant in the West than in India. If untreated, the cancer can spread to other organs & even cause death. The tumours are usually treated with enucleation ( removing the eye) or controlled with chemotherapy. Through ocular Brachytherapy, the eye can be salvaged & patients can regain 60-70 % of their vision.


Ocular Brachytherapy can be performed at centres which are equipped for radiology treatment. The procedure is an interdisciplinary one as the treatment dosage is determined by oncologists, the radioactive seed is prepared & placed on a gold plaque by medical physicists & the plaque is surgically sutured over the tumour by an ophthalmologist. The patient spends 5-7 days in isolation following which the plaque is removed.