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.
