Bengaluru: Continuing the tradition of smearing colour on the faces of friends and throwing coloured water in a playful manner on guests, is a hallmark of the Indian festival Holi. Historically, Holi, the festival of bright and cheerful colours, used to be played with natural dyes made from henna leaves, margosa leaves, marigold flowers, turmeric, kumkum and Gulal made from red sandalwood powder etc.
With the changing times, chemical dyes and synthetic colours entered the market. These may contain dangerous toxins that have a harmful effect on the human body. Therefore, one has to be careful while using the colours to play Holi. Most of the modern colours are in fact chemical dyes and can cause skin allergies. Some of the skin problems that could occur are itching, rashes, dryness and irritation. Eyes are extremely vulnerable and need to be protected since sometimes, these harmful colours come in contact with the eyes resulting in eye-infections etc.
Holi is round the corner and it is not just the time to have fun but there also a need to be careful as every year, there is a spate of eye and skin injuries reported during the festival. There can be a potential danger to one’s eyes when they come in contact with colours. Despite awareness, people continue to use synthetic colours which contain harmful ingredients like lead (which can cause eye allergies, conjunctivitis, chemical burns, corneal abrasion or blunt eye injury).
Holi can lead to a host of problems like;
Temporary blindness: While splashing colours, it can enter the eyes and blur the vision for a while. A grey patch can appear on the retina which may cause blocked sight. One needs to be careful while playing with water balloons as it can hit the eyes and one can suffer from permanent blindness with serious corneal tears or blunt eye injury.
Scratched cornea: The cornea is the thin, clear layer that covers and protects the iris. Harmful colour can enter the eye and can get trapped under the eyelid. These particles may irritate the corneal surface and cause abrasion.
Conjunctivitis: Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, a thin layer of tissue lining the inner surface of your eyelid. This transparent layer also covers the white part of your eyes and becomes inflamed due to chemical irritants in Holi colours.
Eye allergies: Holi colours can trigger allergic reactions which may result in reddening, swelling and watery eyes.
Inflammation of the iris: While playing Holi, the colours can come in contact with the iris and result in serious inflammation. It can be very problematic for those wearing lenses as the problem will be double since the chemicals can smear the lens and get trapped between the lens and the eye’s surface.
Safety tips for the eyes during Holi
Do’s
1. Protect your eyes by wearing your glasses or sunglasses.
2. Use natural colours while playing Holi.
3. Apply coconut oil around your eyes to protect your eyes as the skin around the eyes is very sensitive to the chemicals in the colours.
Don’ts
1. Do not wear contact lenses.
2. Do not use synthetic colours if possible.
3. Avoid spraying colours near the eyes.
4. Do not rub your eyes while playing.
Injury with colours:
If colour has gone into the eyes, then wash the eyes immediately with copious amounts of clean water. If irritation persists, then contact an eye doctor.
If the injury is severe due to water guns or water balloons etc, then contact emergency eye services.
Have a safe and fun Holi!
HOLI HELPLINE NUMBERS
People Tree Hospitals, Yeshwanthpur-
8049599900
People Tree Hospitals @Chris-
8045585558
People Tree Hospitals @Meenakshi-
8026755800 / 901 / 402
Raghavendra People Tree Hospitals- 9900511146
