You might be taking care of your skin from the harmful UV rays all too well. But do you do the same for your eyes too? Sunburned eyes is actually a condition that's called photokeratitis. It is often caused by the reflection of the sun off of a surface. One common way to get this eye condition is by indulging in snow sports since the white snow reflects the sun back in your eyes. This phenomenon is known as snow blindness. You can also get photokeratitis by being out on the water, where the sun reflects back or even on the beach if the run reflects off the sand. It can also happen if you directly look at the sun or spend a lot of time outside without protecting your eyes. This is why, it is always better to wear sunglasses, hats and scarves on the head in order to protect your eyes from the sun.
The symptoms of photokeratitis are as follows:
Pain
Swelling
Redness
Tearing
Blurred vision
Gritty feeling in the eyes
Sensitivity to light
Eyelid twitching
In most cases, you might not be able to open your eyes and your vision can get severely impaired. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is very important to see a doctor and seek care, especially if this goes on for a longer duration.
Depending on the severity of the burn in your eyes, you might have the symptoms of photokeratits for 46-48 hours. It is like sunburns, sometimes it's a mild burn that goes away on its own. You need to take care of it and take it easy and not let it get re-exposed. It is very important to get indoors into a dark room to rest your eyes as soon as you start to notice the symptoms of this eye condition.
- You can buy polarized lenses which can help in minimizing the impact of reflected light.
- You can also buy bigger frames so that it can protect more surface area.
- If you're shopping for sunglasses, ask the sales associate for help with finding the right features for this condition.
- You can also buy sunglasses with built-in UV protection which helps in blocking 99-100% of UV lights.
