World Hand Hygiene Day 2025: Ways to prevent eyes problems caused by infected hands in summers

This world hand hygiene day 2025, protect your eyes from summer infections! Learn how dirty hands can cause eye problems and discover simple ways to keep your eyes safe and healthy.

New Delhi:

World Hand Hygiene Day serves as a timely reminder that something as simple as handwashing can be an effective defence against infections—not just during pandemics, but also during seasonal health issues such as allergies. As summer arrives, many people develop itchy, watery eyes as a result of airborne allergies. But what most people don’t realise is that unclean hands can aggravate or even induce eye infections and allergic reactions. Dr K Harsha, Head Clinical Services at Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Bengaluru, explains that the relationship between hand cleanliness and eye health is especially important around this time of year.

Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people when:

• One’s eyes, nose, or mouth are touched with unwashed hands.
• Food is prepared or eaten with unwashed hands.
• Surfaces or objects that have germs on them are touched.
• Blow the nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects.

Needless to say, washing hands thoroughly prevents the transfer of disease-causing germs. The eyes are no exception to this. Simple hand washing can go a long way in reducing the incidence of common eye problems like styes and allergies to serious conditions like conjunctivitis & corneal ulcers. The importance of hand hygiene cannot be overemphasised in achieving successful outcomes of eye surgeries and in the usage of contact lenses.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. After wetting the hands, soap is applied, and the hands are lathered, including the undersurface of nails and between fingers. Scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds with lather on is recommended. After this, the hands can be rinsed with clean running water and then dried. If soap and water are not readily available, an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol can be used.

Prevention of eye problems can be ensured by maintaining proper hand hygiene by the following methods:

• Washing the hands before touching the eyes for any purpose
• For cleaning the eyes better to avoid using hands; instead, use sterile wipes or clean tissue.
• Maintaining contact lens hygiene and avoiding touching the tip of eye drop bottles
• Avoid sharing of common items like towels and eye care tools and eye makeup items.
• Last but not least, educating people, particularly children, about the benefits of hand hygiene

Maintaining clean hands during allergy season is more than simply good personal hygiene; it’s also an important step in protecting your eyes and preventing infections. Clean hands may make a huge difference in anything from wiping your eyes to using contact lenses or eye drops. As we commemorate World Hand Hygiene Day, remember that healthy hands lead to healthy eyes. A few seconds of handwashing can prevent weeks of misery and consequences.

Disclaimer: (Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.)

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