Eye Care Tips For Summer: 5 Expert-Recommended Ways to Keep Eyes Protected

Eye Care Tips: Tis’ the season of summer and our sunglasses are all out and about. If you are someone not too interested in wearing these, here is why it is necessary during this season.

Eye Care Tips: Summer season is upon us and people are already out and about flaunting their shades, aviators and summer trends. While showing off sunglasses might seem cool, it is also a necessary precautions for the eyes during this weather. It is during the summers when our eyes run the maximum risk of getting exposed to harmful UV rays and tend to dry. We also happen to indulge in a host of fun activities during our summer breaks, hence we need to take adequate care of our eyes while we have a fun time.

In line with summer-time eye-care, Mr. Ajay Mishra, Optometrist, GKB Opticals said, “While summer season is all about indulging in fun activities and vacations, people often miss out on the common issues which our eyes face particularly during this season. While people talk about sunburn, they mainly relate it to skin and tend to miss out on corneal burns.

Did you know about sunburned eyes?

A huge chunk of the population is still not aware of something called “sunburned eyes” which is mainly caused when our eyes get excessively exposed to heat, sunlight and harmful ultraviolet rays. Owing to the dry and sultry weather outside, the tear film of our eyes gets evaporated and results in drying the eye surface. Often it is prescribed to use eye drops to lubricate the eyes and keep them hydrated during the summers, but before using any above-the-counter drops, it is strictly advised to consult with your eye care practitioner.

Eye Care Tips for Summers

1.Use Sunglasses With Absolute Ultraviolet Protection – While it is advised to use sunglasses every time we step outdoors during the daytime, the practice becomes mandatory during summers. Additionally, we need to ensure that the glares provide complete protection from ultraviolet rays. Sunglasses which cover the areas surrounding our eyes are even better as often the delicate skin around our eyes tends to be the first ones to get impacted by harmful sunrays. UV rays can pass through clouds, hence we need to keep a check that we don’t get deceived by cloudy days. The good news for all spectacle wearers is that now stylish sunglasses are available in customizable power too so it’s advisable to check your eyes with qualified optometrist before you decide to go for a pair of stylish sunglasses.

2.Keep your body hydrated and your eyes moisturised – The hot and humid winds of summertime tend to cause an agitation-like sensation in our eyes which lead to a condition, often termed as “dry eyes”. The tear film of our eyes tends to get evaporated during summertime which in return dries out the surface of our eyes. Artificial tears help in overcoming the situation and provide moisture to our eyes. To produce sufficient volume of artificial tears, we need to ensure that we hydrate ourselves adequately.

3.Protect Your Eyes From Photokeratitis – Like our skin, our eyes also get sunburned and the condition is termed “Photokeratitis”. With symptoms like headache, pain, swollen eyelids, blurred vision etc, photokeratitis is caused by extensive exposure of our eyes to UV rays. While sunglasses with maximum UV protection are recommended to prevent photokeratitis, to ensure another line of defence against the harmful UV rays, it is advisable to use wrap-around sunglasses. Alongside sunglasses, there are contact lenses too, which protect our eyes from ultraviolet radiation by absorbing them. The idea is to create sufficient barriers to block the harmful radiations from affecting our eyes.

4.Make sure you put on your goggles while swimming – Summer is the time when we indulge in water-based activities and swimming tops the list. Water bodies often get contaminated with bacteria and fungi and putting our goggles on ensure that we don’t expose our eyes to the contaminated water. Even pools run the risk of exposing our eyes to chlorinated water. Swimming with contact lenses on can also infect the eyes as there are high chances of bacteria getting into the lens surface. Therefore it is always recommended to use goggles while swimming.