How You Can Protect Your Eyes in Summer

The warmest season is here, which means many people are looking to spend more time outdoors enjoying the summer sun. But some of those entertaining activities and extra hours spent in the sun can risk your eye health.

As you book your travel and pack your beachwear, water, and sunscreen, do not forget your eyes! Remember to pack some essentials for your eyes, with the same precautions you take for your skin. Your skin may show signs of sun damage more evidently than your eyes. But that does not mean your eyes cannot get as much sun damage. How can you protect your eyes in summer?

Spruce Up With UV Protection Sunglasses

Get sunglasses that offer 100 percent protection from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. The sun is the main source of UV light, but it can also bounce off sand or water surfaces and enter your eyes.

Spending too much time out in the sun without protective sunglasses can bring about photokeratitis, commonly known as eye sunburn. Continual exposure to this harmful UV light may trigger the development of cataracts or eyelid cancer. The best way to shield your eyes is to wear sunglasses that provide complete sun protection.

Get a Wide-brimmed Sunhat

Wearing UV protection sunglasses every time you step into the sunny outdoors is brilliant. It goes hand in hand with wearing a wide-brimmed hat to enhance the protection of your eyelids and eyeballs. The sunhat significantly reduces direct contact with UV light.

Eyelid cancer that usually affects the lower eyelid can also develop below the eyebrows or in the circles and corners of the eye. Regular use of a wide-brimmed hat can significantly lower your exposure to damaging UV radiation.

Wear Protective Goggles in the Water

It is necessary to guard your eyes in the pool. While chlorinated water protects you from contact with germs, it can injure your eyes. It weakens the thin layer of tissue that shields your cornea against germs and irritants, leaving you with eye injuries like a corneal abrasion.

Wear goggles every time you go swimming in the pool, ocean, lake, or other natural water bodies containing substances that may damage your eyes.

Remove Contact Lenses When Swimming

Contact lenses can trap germs that enter your eyes and cause bacterial infections. Swimming with contact lenses can also cause severe eye irritation and conditions that threaten your eyesight, such as a corneal ulcer.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises against exposing contact lenses to any water. That includes tap water, pool water, showers, hot tubs, and ocean and lake water.

Drink Enough Water

Water helps keep your eyes moisturized. People are more prone to becoming dehydrated during summer, and that can affect their eyes. Drinking enough water every day can prevent dehydration or reverse its effects. It can also provide moisture for normal eye function.

Rinse, Do Not Rub Your Eyes

Research shows that the best way to guard your health against infectious diseases is to wash your hands frequently. This routine also helps avoid getting eye-related conditions such as conjunctivitis.

If someone else touches something after rubbing their eyes, you can develop conjunctivitis if you rub your eyes after touching that object. Instead, rinse your eyes with clean water to soothe mild irritations.

For more on how you can protect your eyes in summer, visit Brandon Eyes at our offices in Middleton or Madison, Wisconsin. You can also call (608) 833-7256 or (608) 833-0301 to book an appointment today.