As a gray haze settles over Delhi, the city’s air has turned visibly and measurably dangerous. On Thursday, air quality monitors across the capital recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) 352, placing it firmly in the "hazardous" category.

The city’s air, laden with particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) many times above safe limits, is now so toxic that experts say breathing it is equivalent to smoking nearly 10 cigarettes a day.

While the health hazards of Delhi's winter smog are often framed around lungs and heart disease, doctors say the city’s eyes are paying a steep price too.

A SURGE IN EYE COMPLAINTS

In the days following Diwali, ophthalmologists across the city have seen a 50–60% rise in patients complaining of itchy, burning, and watering eyes.

At the Delhi Eye Centre, Dr. Harbansh

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