Sun Glasses for Madras Eye?
So the bell rang for the first period and we were settling down in class. One of my classmates turned up wearing sun glasses. Nothing wrong with that, except people don’t wear shades inside the class.
So I ask this other dude what was going on.
Me: Dude, why is he wearing sun glasses indoors?
Dude: He has Madras Eye, da.
Me: Ok. So why is he wearing sun glasses indoors?
Dude: It’s Madras Eye da. It is so that other people won’t get affected.
Me: What?!
Dude: The rays from his eye will strike other people and they will get infected too.
Me: WHAT?!
Then I explain to him that only Superman can do shit like that. Sheesh. Why do people wear sun glasses (in Tamilnadu and possibly in other parts of India as well) when they get conjunctivitis?
The only halfway sensible reason would be to warn other people that they were infectious. (But is conjunctivitis infectious?) However most people think that the sun glasses prevent the infection from spreading.
September 13th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
It’s quite infectious. Actually the glasses are to prevent the viruses from spattering outward whenever you blink. The glasses are like this shield. They ensure that the spattering viruses stay there and don’t get away.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:03 am
Thank you, George. Your comment will probably get indexed and turn up for conjunctivitis cures.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:40 am
its also called Chenneye by the way. and the glasses are probably to hide the inflamed eyes from public view. a matter of pride or something.
September 14th, 2007 at 6:20 am
There’s also a thing called light intolerance (or photophobia), some people are forced to wear sunglasses everywhere they go
September 14th, 2007 at 7:44 am
why is it called madras eye in the first place?
and it is infectious. something like common cold, you know if the guy with it rubs his eyes and then shakes hands with you and you rub your eyes too, you are infected. not sure how the glasses stop that..
and as for the glasses ..its probably the thing that caught on to save oneself from looking terrible in the eye with “chennaieye”..wew
September 14th, 2007 at 8:16 am
lol.. great post !
@George
You’re a damn nerd !
September 14th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Well, I used to think it was the reason Suren said, but I guess Florchak has got it right… I never wore sun glasses when I got conjunctivitis, and that was way back in fourth standard.
Sundar.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Florchakh, conjunctivitis doesn’t make the eyes very light sensitive or anything.
Sindhu, the glasses don’t stop that.
Guys, Chennaieye and Chenneye just sounds stupid. Probably why it never caught on. (Unintentional pun.)
Sundar, light sensitivity is not a symptom of conjunctivitis.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
My mom says I actually wore sunglasses to school when I had Madras eye just for the banda..
September 14th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Looks like everyone does it. But you don’t remember that?
September 14th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Nope.. Apparently I wore it for only one day or something… then I didnt wear them for one day, and cut the remaining days.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
I still think I make more sense. Nerd, it seems. Asses.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Yeah, I wonder what Arun M was thinking.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:05 am
Is Karunanidhi suffering from some sort of permanent Conjunctivitis?
September 15th, 2007 at 12:06 am
so wearing sunglasses doesnt work ah??????
September 15th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Karunanidhi actually does have some eye problem, I think.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Karunanidhi has more than an eye problem.
September 15th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
You mean Jayalalitha?
September 15th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
What about Stevie wonder? Oh, wait, hes blind.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
The eyes get sore. You wear glasses to reduce stress on the infected eye.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:06 am
In what way?
September 16th, 2007 at 1:53 am
Well because of the itching and the oozing pus and all you can’t see that well. And remember that it IS an infection. So you’re sick and aren’t supposed to cause stress for your eyes. Direct sunlight can cause stress. So the sunglasses prevent that. But in all fairness you shouldn’t be out in the first place.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Well i’ve been telling lots of people that it wont spread if we just see their eyes. But they never listen to me as usual. hehehe
September 16th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Maybe there’s some truth in this tales of rays of infection hitting people from one another’s eyes. Maybe its these kinds of myths that inspired the likes of superman. Maybe the doctors have all got it wrong… This definitely is food for thought.
Sundar.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Direct sunlight causing stress? I doubt it.
Sundar, maybe Cyclops (from the X-Men) actually has a form of conjunctivitis then?
September 16th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
My thoughts precisely Marc. Only its on the verge of extinction as it cannot spread, but it incinerates whatever it encounters thereby losing potential hosts.
September 16th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
“Direct sunlight causing stress? I doubt it.”
What do you doubt there? Not even a perfectly healthy eye is spared. Haven’t you heard of harmful UV rays?
Suddenly people think they are ragha if they know ragha very much.
September 16th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
How is that related to Madras eye? Every eye is stressed. You don’t see everyone wearing shades.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
It is irritated and reddish, Goddammit!! You can’t be having cool compresses all the time to reduce the inflammation. You don’t wish to have dust particles to cause more discomfort, do you?
September 16th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
First it was sunlight. Now it’s dust particles?
Wearing sunglasses indoors reduces stress from sunlight perhaps?
September 16th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
I still think it’s to ensure that the virus doesn’t spatter.
September 17th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I agree with George.
September 17th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
I never said indoors! Well, what the hell. George is right.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Think its to reduce discomfort for the person luking into our eye.
There can be reasons for wearing it outdoors but there can be no other reason to wear it indoors.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
That is a very strange reason indeed. Vijaykanth should always wear sunglasses then.