Eye disease:

Do not panic

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The public should not panic about the eye disease that is spreading. It is just an ordinary eye infection, Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Palitha Maheepala said.

According to Dr. Maheepala although several persons with eye infection turn up at the Colombo National Eye Hospital and other hospitals, the infection is not a serious one.

The infection spreads through air conditioned rooms/buses and when a person touches a surface infected with the virus and then touches his/her eyes.

Medical treatment should be sought if redness, blurred vision and other problems persist for over three days.

People can protect themselves by avoiding staying in air conditioned rooms and buses with infected persons and not touching eyes with contaminated hands, he said.

Hands get contaminated when a person touches a surface touched by an infected person.

Therefore hands should be washed with soap before touching eyes/face, he added.