Conjunctivitis to almost vision loss: Doctor shares 5 ways dust storms can harm your eyes

Dust storms can pose risks to your eyes, causing a range of problems from mild irritation to serious vision-threatening issues. Taking precautions is a must.

Weather can be very unpredictable, and dust storms can come without warning, whipping up dust, debris, and potential health hazards in mere seconds, especially for your eyes. Dust storms can affect your eye health in various ways, from mild irritation to infections that may even threaten your vision.

Eyes are vulnerable during a sudden dust storm.(Shutterstock)

Dr Digvijay Singh, Director at Noble Eye Care  Gurugram, shared with HT Lifestyle how dust storms can adversely affect eye health, causing significant problems that cannot be overlooked. But with the help of adequate precautions, one can lessen the damage.

He explained, "Dust storms are a frequent occurrence in the current environment. These storms carry substantial risk to health, both pulmonary and ocular. The eyes are probably the most exposed to dust storms, and anyone caught in the fray is likely to suffer from ocular complaints varying from eye irritation to serious eye infections, which may result in vision loss. Moreover, contact lens wearers are at a particularly increased risk since the chances of infection are highest. They should take precautions."

Dr Digvijay Singh shared a detailed guide, listing five ways dust can negatively affect your vision, along with precautions for contact lens wearers, who are most at risk:

5 eye problems from a dust storm

 

Redness in eye is one of the common issues seen in most of the eye problems.(Shutterstock)

1. Dry eyes:

• Exposure to strong breeze and dust can trigger dry eye disease, particularly in people who are regular contact lens wearers or have had mild dry eyes in the past.
• People will present with sudden eye watering, foreign body sensation, irritation and redness. The irritation may be severe enough to make keeping the eyes open difficult.

2. Eye allergy:

• Dust storms rake up fine and coarse dust, including organic vegetable matter and construction dust.
• These all can trigger allergies presenting as itching, redness of the eyes and stringy mucus production in the eyes.

3. Conjunctivitis:

• Dust is particularly notorious for case eye infections like conjunctivitis.
• It is red eyes with discharge and irritation, and swelling of the eyelids. This would require medical management to resolve and is often a communicable condition caused by bacterial infection.

4. Keratitis:

• Corneal infection or keratitis is a serious infection of the eye with the potential of causing blindness if left untreated. This is especially seen in contact lens users who are caught in a dust storm and get dust particles in the eyes.
• Keratitis includes red, painful eyes with discharge and blurred vision, often in the presence of light sensitivity. 
• Urgent treatment is required to prevent permanent vision loss.

5. Eye trauma:

• Eye injuries can occur due to flying debris during a dust storm. These may vary from mild abrasions of the cornea to severe perforating injuries of the globe.
• The presentation may include redness of eyes and severe pain to vision loss. Albeit rare, they require urgent intervention from a specialist.

Precautions for contact lens wearers

 

Those who wear contact lenses are at higher risk.(Shutterstock)

1. Carry a contact lens case and some solution in order to remove your contact lenses safely if your eyes get exposed to dust.

2. Carry prescription glasses so that you may use them in place of contact lenses if the weather is not supportive.

3. Carry a pair of shades to cover your eyes while wearing contact lenses if you don’t want to remove the contact lenses or are unable to remove them

4. Carry some contact lens safe lubricant eye drops and use them to wash any dust that may have entered your eye while wearing contact lens in a dust storm.

Dr Singh further advised seeing an ophthalmologist if eye irritation persists after removing a contact lens or if any discharge develops. Sharing treatment advice, he recommended the early use of antibiotic eye drops to help prevent serious infections. In case of an infection, the contact lens should be discarded.

He concluded by sharing some tips for those who don’t wear contact lenses and said, “If you are not a contact lens wearer and are caught in a dust storm, try to take cover, wear some protective glasses or shades and immediately wash your eyes with clean water if any dust enters the eyes.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.