Don'T Forget To Pack Sunscreen For Your Eyes This Summer


Most people know how dangerous UV rays are for the skin (e.g. it can cause cancer and nasty sunburns) and religiously wear sunscreen whenever they're outside. What many people don't know is they can also sunburn their eyes. Here's more information about this problem and what you can do to protect yourself.

Beware of Photokeratitis

Photokeratitis, also called snow blindness, is corneal and retinal damage caused by ultraviolet rays. It's the type of damage that occurs when you stare at the sun for too long without eye protection, which is why your mother nagged you to never do that when you were younger.

However, since the sun's rays reflect off surfaces, you can develop photokeratitis from being around snow, light-colored sand, water, and similar reflective items. The offender is the UV radiation in the sun's rays, which is why you can also get photokeratitis while sitting in tanning beds and under lamps that emit ultraviolet light.

When your eyeballs get sunburn, you may suffer temporary blindness for a period of time, anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days depending on the severity. For instance, CNN newsperson Anderson Cooper sunburned his eyes while sailing on a boat for two hours in Portugal, and was blinded for 36 hours afterwards. The blindness occurs after the damage has already been done, but you'll typically develop symptoms beforehand telling you there's a problem. Those symptoms include:

  • Eye pain
  • Headaches
  • Seeing halos
  • Twitching eyelids
  • Redness
  • Blurry vision
  • Tearing
  • Swelling
  • Sensitivity to bright light

Chronic exposure to UV rays can result in long-term damage, so it's important to take measures to protect your eyes to keep them as healthy as possible.

Avoid Eye Sunburns

Preventing photokeratitis is as easy as wearing eye protection whenever you're outside. However, you need something a lot hardier than the cheap glasses you find in retail stores. The eye protection you wear must block out 100 percent of the UV rays to be effective. Additionally, you must wear them whenever you're outside, even if it's overcast, because UV light can still penetrate through clouds.

Alternatively, some contact lenses also protect against UV rays. So if you prefer a little more flexibility when it comes to your eyewear, talk to an eye expert about this option.

Photokeratitis typically clears up by itself after a period of time. If you're still experiencing blindness or other symptoms after a few days, get an eye exam as soon as possible. For more information about this issue, contact a local optometrist.

About Me

glasses and eye exams for kids

Every year, I take all three of my kids to the eye doctor to get an exam and new glasses if they need them. This can add up to be quite expensive when you have to pay for three kids to have those exams and get new glasses. I have researched the best way to get glasses at affordable rates and even what to do with the glasses that my kids no longer wear. I have included everything that I have learned about kids' glasses and eye care here on my blog. Hopefully, my experiences will help you to keep your kids seeing clearly.