Monsoons are more than just good, hot food. And while most of us are quick to pull out umbrellas and raincoats, very few think about protecting our eyes, especially if we wear contact lenses. And according to eye specialists, this oversight could cost us more than just a little irritation.

Why Your Eyes Are at Risk in the Rainy Season

The humid climate during the rainy season creates the perfect environment for viruses to thrive. On top of that, people tend to spend more time indoors and in close contact with one another, which raises the risk of viral infections spreading by nearly 50 per cent. Add to this the common flu, which weakens immunity, and your eyes become more vulnerable than ever.

Contaminated water is another culprit. Dr Jayapratha Selvaraj, General Ophthalmology, points out that poor water hygiene can worsen eye conditions such as conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye) and keratitis, an infection of the cornea. “These infections are especially troublesome for people who wear contact lenses,” she says.

Dr Venkatesan C, Senior Consultant – Ophthalmology, agrees, adding that fungal and bacterial keratitis become more common during the monsoon. “They may start with redness, irritation, or pain, but if not treated right away, they can cause serious visual problems,” he warns.

Contact Lens and Monsoon

Contact lenses are a blessing for millions, particularly students and professionals who find glasses cumbersome. But during the monsoon, they can turn into little traps for germs.

“Contact lenses are safe if you follow the rules. But the moment hygiene slips, lenses can let bacteria or fungi stick to the eye’s surface,” says Dr Venkatesan. The moist, humid environment during the rainy season accelerates this risk. Tears dry more slowly in such weather, keeping the surface of the eye damp, a perfect breeding ground for infections.

Students, in particular, face greater danger. Many wear their lenses for long hours, share lens solutions with friends, or even swim in pools or rainwater while keeping their lenses on. Each of these habits, says Dr Venkatesan, can drastically raise the risk of infection.

Golden Rules of Lens Care in the Rainy Season

You do not have to abandon your lenses every time it rains. With the right care, you can enjoy both the rain and clear vision.

Dr Selvaraj lists the basics:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before touching or wearing lenses.
• Store lenses only in their designated case.
• Never use expired lenses.
• Avoid rinsing or storing lenses in tap water or saline; always use proper lens solution.
• Do not sleep, bath, or swim with lenses on.

Dr Venkatesan adds a few more monsoon must-dos:

• Always use fresh lens solution; never top up old liquid in the case.
• Take off your lenses before going out in the rain.
• If your doctor has not recommended it, do not sleep in your lenses.
• If you notice persistent redness, discharge, or blurred vision, remove your lenses immediately and see an eye doctor.

When Infections Happen

Despite best efforts, sometimes you still get infections. Viral conjunctivitis, for example, often resolves on its own, but that does not mean you should ignore it. “Ophthalmologists may prescribe antibiotic and lubricant eye drops to reduce discomfort and prevent spread,” explains Dr Selvaraj.

If the cornea gets involved, as in keratoconjunctivitis, timely medical treatment becomes crucial. Viral eye infections can remain contagious for up to two weeks, so doctors urge patients to:

• Wash hands frequently.
• Avoid sharing towels, bed sheets, or handkerchiefs.
• Resist rubbing or touching the eyes.
• Switch to glasses and only return to contact lenses after medical clearance.

You do not have to give up your lenses during monsoon, but you do have to respect the hygiene rules. Even a small slip-up, like rinsing lenses in tap water or wearing them during a sudden downpour, can lead to painful infections and, in some cases, long-term vision loss.

As Dr Venkatesan puts it, “You may enjoy the beauty of the rainy season without hurting your eyes if you take basic steps and get medical care right away.”

This Contact Lens Health Week 2025, know that your eyes deserve as much protection as your clothes and shoes. And when it comes to contact lenses in the monsoon, a little extra care goes a very long way.

Dr Jayapratha Selvaraj is an ophthalmologist at Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Chennai

Dr Venkatesan C is a senior ophthalmology consultant at SRM Global Hospitals, Chennai

Squirrels could be natural hosts of the mpox virus (MPXV) -- that causes monkeypox disease -- according to a recent study by German researchers.

The team from the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) identified the fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) as a likely natural reservoir of the MPXV.

The study published in the journal Nature revealed that sooty mangabeys – a primate found in West Africa -- can contract mpox by eating infected squirrels. The disease may present mild lesions, but it can also cause more severe skin lesions or even be fatal.

"Identifying the animal sources of the virus and the exposure routes that lead to inter-species transmission are key steps towards understanding spillover mechanisms and developing effective prevention measures to mitigate the risk of transmission to humans," said Livia V. Patrono, one of the senior authors at HIOH.

Squirrels Suspected MPXV Hosts

While squirrels have long been suspected as potential reservoirs for MPXV, their role was confirmed after an investigation of an mpox outbreak among wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Côte d'Ivoire.

During the outbreak, reported in early 2023, nearly one-third of the primates showed clinical signs of disease, and four infants died.

The team conducted viral genome sequencing and found that the infected monkeys carried a virus that was nearly identical to an MPXV strain identified in a fire-footed rope squirrel found dead 12 weeks earlier nearby.

Further, the team analyzed fecal samples from the mangabeys. A sample collected eight weeks before the outbreak's onset contained DNA from both the virus and the rope squirrel. This provided strong evidence of interspecies transmission at that moment.

Sooty mangabeys have been previously observed catching and eating fire-footed rope squirrels, which provide a direct route for the transmission of viruses.

Mpox Continues To Spread Globally

Although mpox is no longer a public health emergency, outbreaks of clade I and clade II strains of the mpox virus are continuing in many countries around the world, especially in Africa.

Last week, Madagascar announced the country's first death from mpox, a 3-year-old girl from the island nation’s eastern city of Toamasina.

The WHO has also confirmed that two cases of the recombinant strain – combining genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) – have been identified to date: one in the United Kingdom and one in India.

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), part of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which also includes the virus that causes smallpox.

It spreads through close physical contact, including sexual contact, and in some cases through contaminated materials or respiratory droplets.

Symptoms typically include fever, swollen lymph nodes, rash, and/or lesions.

The global health body has also urged all countries to “remain alert to the possibility of MPXV genetic recombination.” It has also urged for continued epidemiological surveillance, sequencing, vaccination of at-risk groups, and infection prevention and control measures.

An international group of scientists has created an artificial intelligence tool that can estimate a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer within the next four years.

The AI tool, known as the BRAIx risk score, analyzes mammogram images to generate an individualized risk assessment and flag women who may face a higher chance of developing the disease.

It may not only show the current risk but also predict the future risk, enabling early detection and treatments for a better outcome.

According to the findings published in The Lancet Digital Health journal, nearly one in 10 women ranked in the top 2 percent of risk by the AI tool were diagnosed with breast cancer within four years. This was despite previously receiving a clear screening result.

“These risk scores enable future development of personalized screening pathways to transform population breast cancer screening and save lives,” said corresponding author Helen M. L. Frazer of the University of Melbourne.

Frazer noted that identifying women who appear cancer-free but carry very high risk -- comparable to those with inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations -- will unravel both hereditary and non-hereditary causes of breast cancer.

From one-size-fits-all screening to personalization

Breast cancer screening programs have significantly lowered mortality rates -- by roughly 40-50 percent among women aged 50 to 74. However, most screening systems still apply the same approach to all women, regardless of individual risk.

Traditional screening tools use genetics, breast density, and questionnaires to estimate breast cancer risk. On the other hand, new AI-based screening tools, such as BRAIx personalizes screening by gathering information already present in breast scan images to better identify who is at higher risk.

“Our results show that conventional mammographic density is a far weaker predictor of breast cancer risk than the BRAIx risk score, even for interval cancers,” the researchers said in the paper. Interval cancers are aggressive tumors diagnosed after a negative mammogram.

The BRAIx Tool

The BRAIx risk score was developed using mammograms from nearly 400,000 women. To prove its efficacy, the AI tool was tested on data from almost 96,000 women from Australia and then confirmed in an independent Swedish population of over 4,500 women.

The findings showed that:

• The BRAIx risk score estimated breast cancer risk more accurately than the traditional risk factors, such as breast density, country of birth, and even family history.

• For the top 2 percent of women with the highest BRAIx risk score, the probability of a cancer diagnosis within 4 years was 9.7 percent -- a risk level exceeding that typically seen in women with inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

The BRAIx risk score can:

• Make breast screening more personalised,
• Improve early cancer detection,
• Reduce false alarms,
• Save lives without increasing costs

Global Breast Cancer Burden

Breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer among women worldwide.

A recent study published in The Lancet Oncology journal predicted that the number of new cases of the deadly disease will reach more than 3.5 million globally in 2050 -- rising by a third from 2.3 million in 2023.

Annual deaths from the disease will also rise by 44 percent -- from around 764,000 to 1.4 million.

However, not smoking, getting sufficient physical activity, lowering red meat consumption, and having a healthy weight can help prevent over a quarter of healthy years lost to illness and premature death from breast cancer.

People who survived a COVID-19 infection can be at significant risk for kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease. compared to individuals who were not infected, according to a study.

The study, published online in the journal Communications Medicine, revealed that COVID patients have

• a 2.3-times higher risk of acute kidney injury
• a 1.4-times higher risk of chronic kidney disease
• a 4.7 times higher risk of kidney failure

“While we’re in the post-pandemic era, this shows that COVID-19 history is an important variable when considering the long-term impact of the infection on kidney function and disease,” said first author Yue Zhang, who was at Pennsylvania State University, US, while conducting the study. Zhang is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

For the study, data on over 3 million working-age adults in the United States were analyzed.

The team compared the effect of influenza, another common viral infection that affects kidney health, and people with a history of COVID infection on kidney infections.

Using a machine learning model, the individuals were followed between 180 and 540 days for the emergence of new acute or sudden kidney disease.

The results showed that:

• Both COVID and the flu can worsen kidney health
• Flu caused a mild and temporary effect
• COVID increased the risk of acute kidney injury for a longer duration
• COVID survivors developed kidney disease within a few hours to a few days
• COVID patients had a longer-term chronic and end-stage kidney disease.

How COVID Worsens Kidneys Health

The Penn State researchers explained that kidney cells express high levels of the primary protein receptors that SARS-CoV-2 uses to enter and infect cells. Kidney cells also produce specialized enzymes that help viruses enter cells.

According to Kidney Health Australia, an acute COVID infection can impact the kidneys with fevers and respiratory symptoms, and/or worsening blood sugar control.

The US National Institutes of Health stated that renal dysfunction is an increasing clinical indicator of COVID propagation.

Citing several studies, the NIH said that the most common clinical manifestation is proteinuria -- found in more than half of the COVID patients. In addition, hematuria, elevated blood urea nitrogen, and elevated serum creatinine are other common features in Covid survivors with poor kidney health.

Nasr Ghahramani, Professor of Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, stressed the need for COVID survivors, especially those with diabetes and high blood pressure, to take "more frequent and more prolonged monitoring of their kidney function" to enable early detection and better outcomes.