Do This To Prevent Sunburned Eyes This Summer

Hopefully, wearing sunscreen is part of your routine, especially when enjoying the outdoors during summer, but are you also protecting your eyes from getting sunburned? Did you even know that was possible?

The technical term for the condition is photokeratitis, and Dr. Jeffery Dello Russo, an optometrist with the New Jersey Eye Center, explained that it’s "essentially a burn of the cornea, the clear front section of the eye that does about 70% of the overall focusing of the eye."

It’s also pretty common, but you may not even realize that it has happened. Dr. Dello Russo says that while eye sunburn can occur in as little as 15 minutes in direct sun exposure, the symptoms may not show up until 12 hours later. Here’s what photokeratitis symptoms can include:

• Intense eye pain and burning
• Stinging eyes
• A sandy or gritty sensation
• Tearing of the eye
• Blurred vision or halos

For most of us, the symptoms will dissipate after about 48 hours, but long-term and repeated eye sunburn can contribute to chronic conditions as we get older - like cataracts, macular degeneration, eyelid cancer and tissue growth on your eyeballs (often benign) known as Pinguecula or Pterygium (Surfer’s eye).

(MORE: Things You're Getting Wrong About Sunscreen)

Dr. Dello Russo says you want to protect your eyes from direct and high-intensity exposure to UV rays, and it’s not just on the days when you’re lounging poolside.

Think of high-altitude hiking, an all-day fishing trip – the doctor warns that the UV reflected off of water, roads or even snow and ice can really do a number on your eyes. So in addition to throwing on a wide-brim hat, Dr. Dello Russo says the right sunglasses are your best defense.

Here’s what he wants you to look for when you’re buying a pair:

• Oversized and wraparound. "They'll be wraparound to give you good coverage not only for the eyes, but the eyelids, the white part of the eye, and it will typically give you what they call Face Form Tilt that sort of wraps around your face."
• UVA/UVB 400 or 100% UV Light Protection
• Polarization

"What polarization does on sunglasses is it actually blocks that rebound UV light that bounces off road surfaces or, you know, if you're on the water fishing or sitting at a lifeguard by a pool, the polarization becomes really important to have in your sunglasses."

Dr. Dello Russo’s ultimate advice is to treat your eyes like your skin, so much like your annual dermatological exam, don’t forget to schedule an eye exam.

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