There are many summer eye injuries, whether accidental or environmental, which can occur during the summer months, in addition to precautions which need to be observed in order to protect your eyes as well as your face, including the following:

1. Fireworks, especially during the months of June and July can be disastrous even for those who are well seasoned in using fireworks.  The best precaution would be to use as low of risk as possible when handeling fireworks. (such as limited alcohol use while using fireworks, pointing the fireworks away from the body, and using legal fireworks).

2. Excessive sunlight exposure can not only cause severe skin burns but also severe dryness and irritation of your eyes.  The best precautions include wearing sunscreen on the face (and the rest of the skin for that matter), wearing sunglasses, wearing goggles while swimming, and lubricating the eyes with over-the-counter artificial tears during and at the end of the day.  I have to add the fact that sunlight exposure not only can cause skin cancers, but also premature wrinkling of the skin.

3. Contact lenses can pose a severe problem with individuals who choose to swim with them in the eyes.  The main problem is a severe amoeba infection of the cornea which will cause a severe painful ulcer of the eye, due to the unhygienic nature of pools and lakes.  The simplest solution would be not to wear the contact lenses while swimming or performing lake activities.

4. Ocular allergies tend to increase during these summer months.  If allergies occur, you may experience itching, redness, and tearing of the eyes.  The main precaution would be to avoid any inciting allergens (if known), and to take over-the-counter oral and topical anti-allergy medications and eyedrops.

The summer can take its toll on your eyes without you ever realizing it. To be active with your eye care always meet with your ophthalmologist to ensure your summer eye injuries are treated properly. You can contact us here to schedule your eye exam today!