Dr.Jimmy Mittal, MS Ophthalmology!
The season of summer, when the sun shines in all its glory is here. We all feel the urge to indulge in an air - conditioned environment, eating ice cream, drinking juices, watering lighter clothes, and enjoying the comfort of staying indoors, we often ignore an important part of the body, our eyes.
The summer season is ready with harmful UV radiations and to dehydrate your body. Between all these, lots of cosmetics available for your skin but do you have an option to protect your eyes? Only sunglasses are not sufficient to protect your eyes from UV rays. Your eyes have risk to other dangers which you may not be aware of.
When Samuel Richardson said, "Where words are restrained the eyes often talk a great deal", we couldn't help but romanticise the body part for its exceptional beauty and with summers here we can't help but take a proactive approach to eye care against the harsh heat waves to maintain their healthy evocativeness in the long run.
Dr Jimmy Mittal, MS Ophthalmology, Mittal Eye Care Center, shared, "Cornea burn, dry eye, tired eyes, pain and allergies are some of the common ophthalmological issues of the summer season. When people think of sunburns, the focus mostly is on skin but very few are aware of the fact that excessive heat and harmful UV rays can also lead to corneal burns, a condition where one gets blurry vision, dryness and a gritty feeling in the eye. Therefore, it becomes all the more important to adhere to an eyecare regime during summers because our eyes' tear film gets evaporated due to the direct exposure to sunlight and excessive heat."
He listed essential eye care tips one should religiously follow for healthy eyes:
* Avoid midday sun - Though sunglasses is the preferred choice to save your eyes from UVR. But still, you are not offering complete UVR protection to your eyes and eyelids. The gaps along the sides of sunglasses can be a medium where UVR exposure occurs. Whenever possible avoid going outside especially during later mornings and afternoons. Because this time the strength of the sun is at its maximum and UV is at its peak.
* Keep your eyes lubricated with eye drops - Dry eye symptoms or allergies may arise from temporary exposure to contaminants, or they could be sign of something more serious. This is when one should keep an eye drop handy (after consulting with an Ophthalmologist) because summer paves way to eye dryness and irritation, which often ends up in pain in the eyes or swelling.
* Be careful when you are applying sunscreen on your face - summer means application of oodles of sunscreen on the face to block the sun damage. But one should be cautious while applying it near and around your eyes and eyelid region. Sunscreens, which are high in SPF, generally cause discomfort to the eyes if they accidentally go inside. Though it won't lead to permanent eye damage, it can cause chemical burns to the surface of the eyes. It can be a little discomforting and painful for a few days.
* Wear sunglasses when stepping out - As sunscreens are essential for skin, so do the shades for eyes. When you are stepping out in the peak summers, go for oversized shades as it will provide extra protection to your eyes. Shades protect the eyes from cornea burn from the damaging UV rays.
* Remain hydrated - During Summers your body remains dehydrated. Which can affect your eyes in many ways. Dehydrations makes it harder for the body to produce tears, leading to dry eye symptoms and other vision problems. The solution is to drink plenty of water each day to prevent the negative effects of dehydration, as well as providing fluid or normal eye function. You can also add juices and coconut water to keep your body hydrated.
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