Pinkeye spreads nationwide   A girl receives an eye examination at the HCMC Eye Hospital. Tuoi Tre Pinkeye, also called conjunctivitis, has spread widely in many provinces and cities, with the number of patients hospitalized due to the disease on the rise since early September. Dr. Trinh Bich Ngoc, deputy director of the Hanoi Eye Hospital, said pinkeye has occurred since the rainy season began in the capital. Currently, the hospital receives 20-25 patients per day. In Ho Chi Minh City, the number of patients with pinkeye has also sharply increased at many hospitals. Huynh Thi Thu Ba, head of the Eye Department at the An Sinh Hospital, said patients with pinkeye accounted for 60-70 percent of the total number of eye patients at the hospital. The hospital now receives more than 20 pinkeye cases every day, and many of them are from the same families. At Nguyen Trai Hospital, Dr. Nguyen Minh Khai, head of the Eye Department, also reported that the hospital receives 20-25 pinkeye patients per day. The same situation was recorded at the Eye Hospital in HCMC, with the number of pinkeye patients increasing by 30 percent from the previous one-two weeks, said Dr. Bui Thi Thu Huong, head of the hospital’s Planning Department. In southern Dong Nai Province, Dr. Cao Trong Nguong, director of the provincial Preventive Health Center, said the disease has recently broken out in two districts, Tan Phu and Dinh Quan. At Dac Lua Preschool in Tan Phu, 23 teachers and students recently came down with the disease at the same time. In the province’s Bien Hoa City, the Dong Nai General Hospital reported that the number of pinkeye patients has risen considerably across all ages. In Central Vietnam, Dr. Doan Van Xien, head of the Eye Department of the Quang Ngai General Hospital, said the number of patients with conjunctivitis has increased by 2-3 times from last month. Over the past week, the hospital has treated about 20 patients with pinkeye every day, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total number of patients with eye problems. Meanwhile, in August the rate was only 30 percent, Xien said. Precautions Pinkeye is redness and inflammation of the clear membranes covering the whites of the eyes and the membranes on the inner part of the eyelids. Pinkeye is most often caused by a virus or by a bacterial infection, although allergies, chemical agents, and underlying diseases can also play a role. As pinkeye is not hard to treat, many patients treat themselves by buying medicine or eyewash at pharmacies, but if they treat the disease incorrectly, they may suffer cornea ulcers and weakened eyesight, said Dr. Trinh Bich Ngoc, deputy director of the Hanoi Eye Hospital. Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, from the Central Eye Hospital, said pinkeye usually occurs in spring and in the period from July to September, especially in the months with the heaviest rain. Dr. Dong warned that patients with pinkeye should not to treat themselves since they may suffer from complications. “We have seen patients whose eyesight falls 2-3/10 after suffering from pinkeye,” Dong said, adding that pinkeye may be mistaken for other eye diseases so patients with eye problems should see an eye doctor instead of treating themselves. Many patients with pinkeye simply go to pharmacies to purchase drugs to treat themselves, but if those pharmacies sell drugs with corticoid to them, then this is very harmful to patients’ health, Dr. Ngoc said. TUOITRENEWS