Eye Sunburn: Causes, Signs, and Remedies
When engaging in outdoor activities, it's essential to take care of your eyes as well as your skin. Here are some key points to remember for eye protection:
- Welding and Eye Protection: When welding, it's crucial to wear a welding helmet designed to protect your eyes and face. The intense UV rays emitted during welding can cause serious damage if not properly shielded.
- Snow Blindness and Snow Sports: Snow blindness, a type of photokeratitis, can occur in sports such as mountain climbing, snowboarding, or skiing if your eyes are not adequately protected. Symptoms include a gritty feeling, eye pain, headache, and sensitivity to bright light, among others. It's important to wear sunglasses or goggles that provide adequate protection when skiing or enjoying other snow sports.
- Eye Protection for Snowboarding and Ski Touring: Experts recommend sunglasses with automatic, adaptive tinting, high contrast lenses, full ventilation to prevent fogging, and a secure, comfortable fit. The Julbo Aerolite REACTIV 1–3 model, for instance, offers these features in a lightweight, panoramic design.
- UV Rays and Various Environments: UV rays can be intense in several different environments, including by water (beach, lake, dock, boat, pool, anywhere the sun meets water), in the city (reflection off buildings, cars, and concrete streets), and on the mountain. To protect your eyes from UV rays, sunglasses should block or absorb 99 to 100 percent of UV rays, and wearing a brimmed hat can help shield your eyes from sun exposure.
- At-Home Treatments for Photokeratitis: If you do experience sunburned eyes, also known as photokeratitis, at-home treatments may include removing contact lenses, resisting the urge to rub your eyes, using a cool compress, taking over-the-counter pain medication, wearing sunglasses, using artificial tears, avoiding makeup, talking to a doctor about eyelash extensions, avoiding getting salt water or chlorinated water in your eyes, and protecting your eyes with airtight goggles when swimming.
- Potential Long-Term Effects of UV Exposure: Overexposure to UV light can cause temporary sunburn or permanent damage in areas such as the cornea, retina, lens, and conjunctiva. This can lead to conditions like basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma on your eyelids. If you notice any discolored, non-healing, swollen, or thickening growths on your eyelid, see a dermatologist.
- Artificial UV Light Sources: Artificial UV light sources include arc welding machines and reptile basking bulbs. Be sure to take precautions when using these, as they can also cause eye damage.
- Tanning Beds and Eye Health: Tanning beds produce up to 100 times the amount of UV rays that the sun does and can be very dangerous for your eyes. It's best to avoid them altogether.
- Understanding the Conjunctiva: The conjunctiva is a thin, mucus membrane with two sections: the bulbar conjunctiva (covers the whites of the eye) and the palpebral conjunctiva (covers the inner surface of the upper and lower eyelids).
- Seeking Medical Advice: If symptoms of sunburned eyes persist for more than a day or two, see a doctor. It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your eye health.
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