Eye care in summer

Many people have assumed the idea of ​​the, but often it is not sufficiently aware that also the eyes must be protected from excess solar radiation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than three million people each year remain blind due to excess solar radiation.

Cautions

The most important precautions to protect our eyes from solar radiation are:

• Perform a annual check with the specialist, or more frequently if necessary.
• Never look directly at the sun with your eyes (not even with sunglasses or on cloudy days).
• Avoid long exposures to the sun, both on the beach and in mountain or inland areas.
• Take care that protective skin creams do not get inside the eye.
• Do not sunbathe while wearing contact lenses, or do it having previously made sure that they are lenses with a good quality UV filter. Even so, when sunbathing, always do so with your eyes closed, even if you are wearing your glasses.
• Wear glasses approved protection that blocks 100% of UV rays, during the days and hours when sunlight is strong. Whether it is corrective lenses or sunglasses, they must have a UV filter of sufficient quality. Those that have a poor quality filter can even be counterproductive, since they can make the eye show a pupillary dilation and be more sensitive to radiation due to a greater input of UV rays.

Eye care also in the water

When taking baths in swimming pools, try to use protective glasses since the chlorine in the water of many swimming pools can cause irritation that will make the eyes more sensitive to solar radiation; Swimming pool water can also be a vehicle for eye infections, which usually increase up to 20% in summer.

In summer the eye care and contact lens hygiene. It is advisable to avoid swimming with the lenses on, or if it is done using single-use disposable lenses.

When performing, it is especially important to protect the eyes by possibility of eye injury, from trauma, by the irradiation itself or by the combination of both factors.

Maintain eyelids always clean and areas near the eyes, of remains of dust or sand or secretions.

In case of, blurred vision, pain, foreign body sensation, feeling of sand, tearing, itching, redness, sensitivity to light, excessive flushing, inflammation or any other ocular discomfort, it is recommended go to the ophthalmologist. The use of any eye drops that have not been prescribed by the doctor should be avoided.