Reduce lens-wear time if you catch a cold or flu

Washington, Dec 11 (ANI): Here's a tip to reduce eye redness and eye irritation when you catch cold or flu- remove your contact lenses or reduce your lens-wear time.

Dr. William Benjamin, a professor of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), says that colds and flu create symptoms of dry eyes or irritation with or without lens wear, and contacts may aggravate the problem.

He said that antihistamines, often taken for colds and flu, worsen eye symptoms.

Thus, he recommended: "Take out your contact lenses or reduce your lens-wear time."

He suggested that if you have extended-wear lenses, opt for daily contact lenses when you start feeling cold and flu-like symptoms, and still remove them earlier in the evening to minimize redness and irritation.

Benjamin said that cold or flu and other such infections can temporarily change outer-eye fluids, often making the tear film thinner and the eye's surface drier.

"Colds and flu create symptoms of dry eyes or irritation with or without lens wear, and contacts may aggravate the symptoms, especially soft lenses which will lose more of their water than normal and may not rehydrate fast enough," he said.

Antihistamines often taken for colds and flu further dehydrate eyes and lead to scratchiness or lens irritation.

Also, the dry heat of most homes and buildings in the winter, another contributor to dry eyes, also reaffirms the advice of reducing contact wear during periods of sickness.

The eye's cornea may catch a viral infection, too, if conditions are right and lens wearers act carelessly.

Benjamin recommended that one should pay attention to their eyes during seasonal changes.

"You can sometimes tell you're about to come down with a cold or the flu when your eye-redness and end-of-the-day eye irritation are more than usual.

Then you'll know to start taking your contacts out earlier in the evening - ultimately leaving them out all day when a cold or flu strikes. Keep a spare pair of glasses handy just in case, so you're not totally dependent on your contacts," he said. (ANI)