Increasing number of pink eye cases

These days, at Saigon Nha Trang Eye Hospital, the number of patients coming for examination due to conjunctivitis is increasing rapidly. According to statistics, in July and the first half of August alone, the hospital received nearly 2,000 cases of pink eye, an average of 30 to 40 patients per day. In previous months, the number of patients coming for treatment for this disease was about 10 to 15 cases per day.

Doctors say this is a common disease that spreads rapidly in the community, mainly through direct contact with the patient's secretions or indirectly through sharing personal items such as towels, blankets, and pillows. What is worrying is that many people are still subjective. When they have symptoms of red eyes, itching, and watery eyes, they do not go to a medical facility for examination but buy medicine to use on their own. This seemingly simple method can lead to complications, making the treatment process more difficult.

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Nam Trung - Director of Saigon Nha Trang Eye Hospital examines a case of suspected conjunctivitis.

Mr. Doan Duong’s family in Bac Nha Trang ward has 3 people who all have the disease. According to Mr. Duong, the first person to get sick was his son. Due to common living habits, especially sharing towels, the family members were infected one by one. “At first, I only had one red eye, then it spread to both eyes. When I first got sick, I bought eye drops, then anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the swelling. Because it didn’t get better, I went to the hospital for a check-up.”

Not only Doan Duong's family, many other patients also came to the hospital with red, swollen, itchy, and watery eyes. Some people had red eyes and it quickly spread to both eyes, causing discomfort and affecting daily activities. Coming to the hospital for examination, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong in Nam Cam Ranh commune said: "Last week, when my eyes were a little red, I went to buy eye drops to use. After that, my eyes watered more, felt gritty and uncomfortable, so I went to the hospital for examination and treatment." Not only adults, children are also susceptible to the disease, because of the habit of rubbing their eyes when itchy or sharing personal items with friends and relatives. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiet in Dong Ninh Hoa commune shared that her 9-year-old son initially felt his eyes were a little itchy, so he rubbed them with his hands. A few days later, every time he woke up, his eyes had a lot of pus, so Ms. Nhiet took him to the doctor. The doctor concluded that he had allergic conjunctivitis.

According to doctors, the cause of the increase in cases may come from erratic weather, polluted environment, combined with many people not paying attention to proper eye and hand hygiene. Although pink eye is not life-threatening, it greatly affects daily life and can easily become an epidemic. Specialist Doctor Le Thi Anh - Head of General Planning and Quality Management Department of Saigon Nha Trang Eye Hospital said: "The common causes of pink eye are viruses, bacteria, and can also be caused by parasites, fungi or allergies. These agents inherently exist in the surrounding environment, so people are very susceptible to contact and infection. Another risk factor is that the current hot weather creates favorable conditions for bacteria and viruses to develop and spread faster. In environments such as swimming, studying, working in crowded spaces..., if there are improper hygiene habits, it also contributes to the rapid increase in the number of pink eye cases".

Although pink eye has easily recognizable symptoms, many people are still subjective. Instead of going to the doctor early, many people buy eye drops to use on their own. This can reduce symptoms immediately, but does not treat the root cause, and can even make the disease worse, easily leaving dangerous complications for the eyes. Doctor Le Thi Anh warns that using medicine without a doctor's prescription not only makes treatment difficult but also affects the patient's vision, and in some cases, it cannot be restored to its original state.

To effectively prevent and control the disease, each person needs to maintain personal hygiene, wash hands regularly, do not rub eyes, do not share personal items and proactively wear a mask when showing signs of illness. In particular, when symptoms appear, patients need to go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

C.DAN