Tips To Protect Your Eyes From Seawater

On the beach, in the sea or in some shadow, eyes need special attention. Sea salt, wind, sunlight, heat and sand can cause burning, redness and numerous other problems which can be easily avoided.

Masks And Goggles

There are two ways to avoid eye irritation: close your eyes while swimming, or even better, protect your eyes with swimming goggles or diving mask. Wearing goggles or mask is really necessary if you go swimming, especially for people who wear contact lenses of any kind.

Skin Around Eyes

Salt in sea irritates sensitive skin around eyes. Excessive salt dries skin, whose sensitivity is increased by the sunlight to the extent that may result even in lesions. The solution is simple: Wash your face with clean water immediately after swimming. It is best to have a shower immediately after swimming, in order to remove salt from skin. Of course, after every bath and shower you should apply sunscreen.

Redness

Even the most resistant eyes turn red easily because of the salt, wind and sand.

Usually it is a mild irritation, which spontaneously disappears without applying any special medication. In some cases, however, eyes can suffer more serious consequences. Conjunctivitis is the most common, resulting in excessive lacrimation and yellowish secretion as some of the symptoms despite redness.

Treating conjunctivitis includes antibiotic drops and ointments, but diagnosis and treating should be entrusted to a specialist doctor – ophthalmologist. The results of a recent US study show that patients with heart transplants experience a higher risk of developing skin cancer.