• Ella Tan
• On November 2, 2015
• http://www.medhatter.sg

If your eyes have been irritated for months or you haven’t been able to shake off that dry cough, the cause may be the lingering haze.

Top image: http://www.nea.gov.sg/training-knowledge/weather-climate/haze

And you’re not the only one. Practo, Asia’s biggest doctor search engine and database, has charted the searches and appointments booked by patients during the haze period in Singapore. The proof is online.

• Searches for eczema-related conditions grew by a staggering 136%
• 3X patients have been searching for doctors for dry eyes and cough
• Searches for dermatologists have grown by 33%

The numbers are likely to be higher if a check is made with neighbourhood GPs and polyclinics which older people visit.

In the meantime, stay hydrated, arm yourself with saline eye drops and don’t leave home without your n95 mask.

London, 1940 – Maybe gas masks will work better