Holi 2026: Essential tips you must follow before and after Holi to prevent eye infections

Holi is a fun time to play with colours, but these harmful chemicals can get into your eyes and cause serious damage.

Holi is a fun celebration where many people in India and across the glove particpates in playing with dry colours or balloons filled with coloured water. While this festival brings joy, it is crucial to take care of your eyes, as they are very sensitive. According to Dr. Hardik Parikh, Ophthalmologist, Global Eye Clinic, many people report redness, itchiness, watering and other allergic reactions that turn into eye infections right after Holi celebrations. He notes that the colours we use during Holi are not safe, as they typically contain industrial dyes, heavy metals and even powdered glass, which are just a few of the ingredients that make up the colours we play with.

What You Should Do Before Playing Holi

Preventing problems is more effective than trying to solve them after they appear. Therefore, Dr. Parikh suggests to try using some coconut oil or vaseline in the eyelid and under the eye barrier, as they are easy to clean off after Holi celebrations. Do not put oil on the eyeball.

If you use contact lenses, you should avoid wearing them during Holi. The colour can become trapped between your lens and your eye, which can lead to a greater chance of infection and corneal damage. Instead, Dr. Parikh recommends wearing glasses or a pair of protective sunglasses to protect you from dry powders and water splashes. To avoid eye injuries, avoid using organic or herbal colours to rub on people's faces. Additionally, avoid throwing balloons at people's faces.

What To Do If Colour Gets Into Your Eyes

If colour gets in your eyes, then try to remain calm and rinse your eye with clean running water. The doctor suggests blinking as much as you can when rinsing to help wash out colour and particles. He says that eye rubbing can lead to a greater chance of scratches and can aggravate the surrounding eye tissues. In his words, "If redness, pain, blurriness, excess watering or sensitivity to light occur, you should contact an eye doctor right away. Do not use any eye medications, including over the counter medications, without consulting a doctor. Also, don't use steroids for eye problem, as they can aggravate the infection."

Before And After Holi: Eye Tips

Holi is a very fun festival, and with some very simple steps, you can also protect your eyes:

1. After you finish playing Holi, you must wash your face with clean water and make sure no colour or soap debris gets into your eyes.
2. You should also not open your eyes while washing your body.
3. If you feel some slight irritation or dryness in your eyes, you are advised to consult your physician on the possibility of using preservative-free lubricating eye drops.
4. After celebrating Holi, parents should keep an eye on their children and make sure that they are washing their eyes properly.
5. If you are suffering from any eye pain, have any issues with your vision such as sudden loss of or cloudy vision, eye swelling and/or oozing coming from the eyes, you should see an eye physician as soon as possible.

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