Summer Eye Care Tips

Protect Against UV Light

Ultraviolet (UV) light can harm your eyes. UV exposure is connected to a variety of eye conditions, including macular degeneration, photokeratitis, uveal melanoma, and many others.

UV rays are present even when it’s cloudy outside. As a result, it’s critical to protect your eyes against UV light at all times. Often, the simplest way is to wear wraparound sunglasses with complete or full-spectrum UV protection. You can even purchase wraparound sunglasses that have your prescription, ensuring you can see clearly while shielding your eyes from harm.

Wear Goggles When Swimming

When you go swimming, wearing goggles is a must if you want to keep your eyes safe and healthy. In lakes, rivers, and the ocean, visibility can be low, so the goggles can protect your eyes against unexpected debris.

Plus, natural bodies of water can contain tiny particles, bacteria, and microorganisms, all of which can damage the eye. By wearing goggles, you prevent them from reaching your eyes.

If you’re swimming in a pool, chemicals like chlorine in the water are an eye irritant, so putting on goggles helps you avoid that irritation. Plus, pools can contain a wide array of contaminants, so it’s best to keep goggles on to avoid exposing your eyes to them.

Apply Sunscreen and Bug Spray Carefully

Sunscreen and bug spray both contain ingredients that can irritate the eyes. As a result, you want to exercise caution when applying either. Avoid spraying sunscreen or bug spray over or near your eyes, opting for a hand-based application instead. Additionally, keep both away from the eyelids entirely.

If you’re sweating, causing your sunscreen or bug spray to drip across your skin, dab (don’t wipe) the sweat away using a clean cloth, napkin, or similar item. That ensures you don’t accidentally move the drips onto your eyelids or into your eyes.

Wash Hands Regularly (and Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes)

Pollen, dust, and dirt can all end up on your hands throughout the day, often irritating the eyes. Regular hand washing is a simple way to reduce your odds of exposing your eyes to contaminants or foreign objects if you touch your eye area, keeping your eyes safe.

Additionally, it’s best to avoid rubbing your eyes at all. If there are particles or other materials in your eye, rubbing can increase irritation and may lead to more damage, such as scratches. Instead, use safe flushing methods to remove anything in your eyes, as that’s the safer approach.

At ECVA, the safety and health of our patients’ eyes are our priority. If you’d like to learn more summer eye tips or simply haven’t seen your eye care provider in the past year, the ECVA team is here to help. Schedule an appointment at your closest ECVA clinic today.

While taking care of your eyes is a year-round job, certain situations that could cause them harm are more common in the summer. If you want to keep your eyes safe during the warmer part of the year, here are some summer eye care tips that can help.

Protect Your Eyes from UV Light

Ultraviolet (UV) light can be incredibly damaging to the eyes. Not only can corneas sunburn, but your eyes can also be susceptible to melanoma – a type of cancer – and a range of other UV-related eye conditions. By focusing on prevention – including using sunglasses, visors, and different kinds of UV protection we’ve covered previously – you reduce your risk.

Shield Your Eye During Home Improvement

During the warmer months, many people decide to tackle a range of home improvement projects. This can include making repairs, updating landscaping, handling some painting, and much more.

Many home improvement projects do present risks to your eyes. Sawdust, paint, debris, and fumes can all potentially be harmful. In serious cases, something hitting or getting into your eye may even cause permanent vision changes, including blindness.

When you participate in home improvement projects, wear protective eyewear. By doing so, you’re shielding your eyes from harm.

Use Eye Protection When Playing Sports

Similar to home improvement projects, many sports have items soaring through the air that could hit your eyes. Eye injuries from golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs, and other similarly sized balls are actually fairly common. The same goes for badminton shuttlecocks and street hockey pucks. Without eye protection, these can all cause serious injury.

While your risk of an eye injury may be minimal with a basketball, soccer ball, or other balls of a larger size, they could also present a risk if you’re getting close to other players. A person moving their hands while trying to get a ball may not notice where you are, causing them to strike your face or poke you in the eye by mistake. As a result, it is wise to wear eye protection here as well.

Keeping Your Eyes Safe from Chemicals

If you own a pool, the chemicals you need to use to keep the water sanitary can be dangerous if they get into your eyes. This is true both when you’re using them to balance the pool, as well as if the concentrations are too high in the water while swimming.

When you are balancing pool chemicals, using full-seal goggles is smart, as well as gloves. When you’re swimming, if you notice your eyes stinging, get out of the water, as that’s a sign the chemical concentrations aren’t correct.

Additionally, wearing swim goggles while in the water is a smart move even if the chemicals are balanced. That way, you can see clearly while avoiding exposure to potential irritants.

At ECVA, we take the safety and health of our patients’ eyes seriously. Whether it’s an injury, chemical exposure, or any other summer concern, we are here to help. Even if you simply haven’t had an eye exam recently, our team is here for you. If you have any eye concerns, schedule an appointment at your closest ECVA clinic today.