Tips for Protecting the Health of Your Eyes This Summer

Summer is around the corner, with that comes more time outside. We all understand how to protect ourselves with summer skincare, however, protecting our eyes from the sunny weather is overlooked. In fact, our eyes are more sensitive to the sun compared to our skin. That makes it even more important that we know how to effectively protect them from UV rays.

Here are our eye health specialists top four ways to protect your vision this summer.

Wear Sunglasses – with complete UV protection

We all know that sunglasses can protect our eyes from the sun. However, not all sunglasses provide the required protection from UV that we need.

Eye health specialists recommend you purchases sunglasses that provide high protection against both UVA and UVB rays. A good pair of sunglasses will reduce sunlight glare, resulting in less squinting, straining and eye pain. Large sunglasses that wrap around will provide the most protection from the sun.

It is best to double-check the level of protection of your new sunglasses. In particular, many ‘fashion’ shades do not give you significant protection from the sun (unless labelled confirming UVA and UVB protection) and are best used for indoor environments. You could be putting your eye health at risk if you’re not checking if your new sunglasses can offer you the right protection from harmful UV rays.

Wear Goggles when swimming

Chlorine from swimming pools or bacteria found in water can irritate your eyes. The best solution is to wear goggles when swimming. Especially if you wear contacts! If you don’t wear goggles to swim, remember to remove your contacts before swimming to ensure no bacteria gets caught between the eye and the contact.

We recommend the use of goggles to keep your eyes healthy; in particular, a study from 2008 found that frequent exposure to chlorine found in swimming pools is potentially harmful to the corneal epithelial barrier. So, if you’re a regular swimmer, goggles are a must.

Avoid rubbing your eyes

The best way to protect your eyes is to avoid rubbing or touching them, as well as frequent hand washing. This can help prevent any easily eye-related conditions from being contracted, such as conjunctivitis. In particular, it is essential to practice this after eye surgery. Your eyes are more susceptible to infection after surgery such as cataracts or LASIK.

During the summer as well, a lot of us suffer from allergies. By keeping your face, hands and eyes clean. You can help combat the pollen and any side effects.

Speak with out eye health specialists this summer

Your health can have a big influence on the health of your eyes. Eating a good diet, drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep can help keep your eyes healthy too.

If you are suffering from any irritation to the eyes, eye drops can help to alleviate pain and manage other eye problems. Especially if summer pollen is making your eyes feel dry or tired, ketotifen eye drops can help.

Get in touch with us on 0800 024 8888 for any eye-related queries or book a consultation here.