More than two million Muslims from across the the globe are converging in Makkah this week for hajj. Among these people from different regions of the world, one should be cautious about the health of one’s eyes.

The human eye contains enough complexity to warrant specialized attention and care beyond the duties of a general practitioner. Eye care professionals can have overlap in their patient care privileges.

Both an ophthalmologist and optometrist are professionals who diagnose eye disease and can prescribe lenses to correct vision. Yet, the ophthalmologist is licensed to perform surgery and perform complex procedures to correct disease.

According to their instructions, the Saudi Ophthalmology Society has warned pilgrims of eye infections they may suffer from and advised them to take certain precautions in order not to catch any while performing hajj.

One of the common infections is conjunctivitis which can be caused by exposure to dust and the sun. Its symptoms include redness of the eye, increased amount of tears and burning eyes.

Ohood Owaidha, the chief of the public awareness committee at the society, told Al-Arabiya.net that the simplest means of preventing conjunctivitis include washing the eyes with cold water and wearing sunglasses.

“The Ministry of Hajj has provided several health care facilities for pilgrims. Those who suffer from any symptom must not hesitate and go directly to the nearest health facility,” Owaidha said.

Common Eye Infections

Glaucoma is one of the diseases which pilgrims may suffer from as well. Owaidha said pilgrims must take their medication as prescribed, adding that pilgrims who recently underwent eye surgeries must wear plastic shields to prevent inflammation.

In fact, dry eye syndrome is what pilgrims suffer from the most. This occurs due to lack of tears and excessive sun exposure which lead to red and irritated eyes.

Thus, Owaidha advised those who have dry eyes not to wear contact lenses and to wear sunglasses and use lubricant eye drops.

To know more about Conjunctivitis, check the following video: