Eyecare Guidelines to follow This Holi

The festival of colors, Holi, is almost upon us. In India, people of all age groups look forward to celebrating this beautiful and colorful festival. Over the years, synthetic and toxic chemical colors have slowly replaced the natural colors that were earlier prepared from flowers and vegetables. Although people have become conscious about the benefits of natural colors, many people still use synthetic colors which are easily available in the market at cheap rates.

Eyes are the most vulnerable parts of the body that are much exposed during the Holi festival. By not taking care of eyes while playing Holi not only can irritate the eyes but it can also result in temporary blindness or permanent vision loss in severe cases. Some of the potential damages that can be caused to eyes due to Holi colors are listed below.

1. Corneal Abrasion: The shiny granular particles present in the synthetic colors are very toxic that can cause corneal abrasion by damaging the cornea. The person suffering from corneal abrasion may feel immense pain and water in the eyes and if not treated timely by the doctor, it can also form ulcer or infection inside the eye. In such a case, keep rinsing your eyes gently with a sterile saline solution or clean water. Make sure that you do not rub your eyes as it may make the condition worsen.

2. Photo Phobia: Your eyes may burn, become red and swell up if any toxic color enters into them leading to photophobia. The best thing to do at that time is to keep washing your eyes with clean water again and again and see a nearby eye doctor immediately.

3. Blunt Injury: Your eyes can get a blunt injury if they are hit hard with water balloons full of colors. This can result in detachment of the retina, hemorrhage inside the eye, cataract, and dislocation of the lens further causing permanent blindness. If something happens like this, do not wash your eyes with water as it can cause infection. Better to keep your eyes closed and see an eye specialist immediately.

Eyecare Guidelines to follow for a Safe and Joyful Holi

1. Use Sunglasses: The foremost important thing to do while playing Holi is to keep your eyes protected and covered with sunglasses. This will prevent the Holi colors and water from entering into the eyes.

2. Do not wear contact lenses: Another important thing to do is not to wear contact lenses as there is the possibility of colors getting trapped between the eye and the lens which can cause infection in your eyes. If you cannot do without lenses, make sure that you do not let color enter your eyes. In case it enters, discard your contact lenses and clean the eyes with clean water.

3. Apply a good moisturizer: It is good advice to apply a thick coating of good cold cream or moisturizer around your eyes to avoid any color entering into them. The cream will act as a shield and protect your eyes from Holi colors. Coconut oil can also be used in place of cream or moisturizer. It will prevent the direct contact of the colors with your skin and will also help in removing the colors easily later.

4. Tie your hair: The basic eye care tip is to keep your hair tied while playing Holi as the color may drip from the wet hair into your eyes. Oiling your hair before stepping out will also help in washing off the color easily.

5. Cover your eyes: The most important tip to follow is to keep your eyes covered while playing with colors. In case, somebody smears color on your face, the best thing to do is to cover your eyes with your palms and keep them closed.

6. Avoid rubbing of eyes: As discussed earlier also, if color enters your eyes, keep rinsing the eyes with clean water. Avoid rubbing of eyes if it is causing any irritation as rubbing may worsen the condition.

The day of a colorful festival can be more fun and enjoyable when we all play it with proper safety measures. Considering the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic hangs over the country and the recent increase in the number of positive cases, we need to make sure that we follow all the stated guidelines and maintaining public as well as personal hygiene, and following social distancing norms. It is important to avoid going out without masks at all and out in large gatherings to play Holi. Rather just play with family members. Do not forget to do frequent sanitization and keep wearing masks all the time.
Do follow these guidelines and share them to enjoy a Happy and Safe Holi.