August can be a hot, sunny month here in Maryland. There are summer festivals, county fairs, golf, watching kids at the pool…the list goes on. We hear a lot about sunscreen for our skin and the dangers of skin cancer, but what about your eyes? Medi-Rents and Sales is always looking out for our customers and trying to provide the best bathroom safety equipment, enteral nutritional supplies and power wheelchairs, but we care about your eyes too!
Did you know that your eyes can suffer sunburn? Just the thought makes you squint doesn’t it? The medical term is photokeratitis and whatever you call it, sunburn of the eyes, and more specifically the corneas and retinas, is caused by overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This can cause very painful eyes and temporary blindness.
You may be thinking that you were never that kid who stated at the sun or even an eclipse and that could neverhappen to you, but you may be surprised. The level of ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB) is at least three times higher in the summer than during the winter. Add that to the increased hours of daylight and the greatly increased time we spend outside and the dangers start to add up.
Spending time at the beach or in the water this summer? Be careful. The reflective water makes the risk much higher and makes the rays come at you from more directions.
If you take certain medications, you may be more “photosensitive” or have greater sensitivity to light. Read the labels and ask your doctor or your pharmacist if you have questions.
What can you do to protect your eyes? Don’t use sunscreen in your eyes, but screen your eyes from the sun with a wide brimmed hat or sunglasses or better yet, both. Sunglasses are the simplest solution. The best sunglasses offer 100 percent UV absorption, look for that on the label. Darker lenses are not always the best indicator, so read carefully. Look for glasses that offer the best optical quality and are impact resistant. Make sure they fit your face and won’t slide off easily. Look for glasses that cover more area around the eye.
These simple tips should hopefully keep your eyes healthy and your last few weeks of summer great! Medi-Rents and Sales want to see you soon.
Tags: Eye Health, Eyes, safety, Sunglasses