Eye Care: Expert warns against self medication
Administering medication to the eyes without prescription from an ophthalmologist can be fatal, experts say.
Self medication is at the heart of countless eye disorders including the most dreaded eye condition ; irreversible blindness.
At the slightest eye discomfort or injury, the first reflex for many people is to rush to a pharmacy where they would be prescribed medication.
But Dr. Elisabeth Asthma, Medical Officer of the Presbyterian Health Complex says “Pharmacists are trained to sell drugs, but not trained to diagnose the eye diseases”.
The Ophthalmologist says anyone who has got eye problems should first of all rush to an ophthalmologists without delay.
Sadly, many people prefer to quickly purchase eye drops from pharmacies, and roadside vendors. But this has always turned out to be fatal, with irreversible consequences in many cases.
According to Dr. Elisabeth Asthma “drugs for the eyes should be prescribed by ophthalmologists because they have been trained in the profession ”.
Indiscriminately wearing sunshades and medical glasses is also quite harmful to the eyes, so consulting must be the starting point.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmologists, poor feeding, smoking, skipping vaccines, taking home remedies, and using some cosmetics can be detrimental to the eyes.
Ophthalmologists say most eye problems begin with little or no symptoms. Having a routine eye check early diagnosis and treatment of eye infections.
Kathy Neba Sina