During the warm summer months, your eyes are at a higher risk of potential damage. This is the perfect time to be taking extra care of your eyes. During this time, your eyes will have a higher risk to UV exposure and numerous other dangers. Below we have listed some tips to help you take adequate care of your eyes.
Use sunglasses
UV rays can cause photokeratitis (otherwise known as ‘snow blindness’) because of the light that reflects from surfaces such as snow and water. Continual exposure to UV rays, particularly UVB, may also cause cataracts to develop, a non-cancerous growth over the cornea called pterygium, or skin cancer on your eyelids. Whenever you’re outside when the sun is shining at its brightest, wear sunglasses that offer you the proper UV protection you need.
Wearing a visor or sun hat
While goggles or sunglasses will offer you the first line of defence that you need, it is always better to be wearing a visor or sun hat for extra protection. Wearing sunglasses minimises any potential risk, but adding a hat that has a brim of at least 3 inches wide will also massively help.
Avoiding midday sun
Avoiding the midday sun will largely depend on the strength of the sun at its peak and the kind of UV rays emitted during this time. But if you are someone who is particularly sensitive to sunlight, it’s a good idea to avoid the sun during this time.
Staying hydrated
Dehydration can affect your eyes, and serious dehydration makes it much harder for the body to make tears, leading to symptoms of dry eye and other problems with vision. By keeping your body hydrated, you keep your eyes hydrated. Always drink an adequate amount of water (minimum of 3 litres) every day.
Tears
Dry, hot environments can affect the tear film of the eye, drying out the surface and subsequently causing dry eyes. In order to protect your eyes in such conditions, wear some wrap-around glasses that keep the wind from the eye’s surface. You can also use artificial tears to keep your eyes refreshed and moist if you need to.
Sunscreen
Try to avoid any contact with the eyes when applying sunscreen, as this can cause significant irritation. If you do experience any irritation, then effectively wash your eyes with some clean water.
No smoking
Cigarette smoke, even second-hand smoke, can worsen dry eyes and increases your risk for many other diseases of the eye, including macular degeneration, cataracts, and others. Quitting smoking will reduce your risk of developing such eye diseases and other significant health problems.
Avoiding direct air con
Going abroad, it’s important to avoid direct contact with air conditioning, as this can also cause dry eyes. Keep yourself hydrated and avoid any direct flow of air to your eyes.
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