Our Eyes Should Be Our Priority This Summer: Here's How To Keep Them Healthy

Everyone knows that you must eat well, exercise, and regularly visit your doctor to stay healthy. These things are essential for your overall health, including your eye health as well. Protecting them should be your number one priority because if something terrible happens to them, it can affect your vision and turn your whole life upside down.

Now that summer is here, the beautiful and warm weather will encourage you to spend more time outdoors, and naturally, you will take certain precautions like putting sunblock on your skin to protect yourself from the sun. However, your skin isn’t the only part that needs protection during the summer; your eyes need them as well. So to be able to spend time outdoors safely, there are things that you need to do to keep your eyes healthy. Keep reading to find out more.

Drink Water

Drinking plenty of fluids and water is really good for you, especially during the summer. Just like the rest of your body, your eyes can significantly benefit from a steady intake of water to function correctly. However, if you don’t drink enough water and let yourself get dehydrated, they will become swollen and puffy, affecting your cornea and vision. Moreover, during the summer, you lose valuable fluids because of extreme heat, and you may sometimes drink soda or fruity beverages to quench your thirst. Still, it is essential to know that these drinks aren’t substitutes for water. There is nothing wrong with enjoying your favorite drinks but make sure to drink enough water as well.

Visit Your Eye Doctor

The best way to ensure that your eyes are healthy is by visiting your eye doctor regularly. They will perform a comprehensive eye exam, which can help identify any potential problems with your eyes and catch them early on before they become more severe. One of these problems is age-related eye disease causing the damage to the macula, hence the need for a macular degeneration treatment to slow its progression or even repair the existing damage. During the summer, it is especially important to visit your eye doctor as you may spend more time outside exposing your eyes to harmful UV rays, which can cause damage and increase your risk of developing eye problems like cataracts or macular degeneration. Thankfully, Ogden Utah is home to some of the best eye doctors in the state, so it is easy to find a trusted provider that can help you maintain your eye health. Getting expert eye care in Ogden UT is just a click away. Before summer hits, make sure to schedule a visit with your eye doctor and get the peace of mind of knowing that your eyes are healthy.

Wear the Right Glasses

As obvious as it seems, you can’t think of eye protection without thinking of sunglasses. Although they come in different designs and styles, choosing the right kind of glasses is important. It is recommended that you opt for a pair that provides 100% UV absorption so you can fully protect yourself from harmful UV rays. You also want to pay attention to the eyeglasses you wear indoors and outdoors and make sure they have blue light filtering technology for extra protection, particularly those from computers and smartphones. Exposure to blue light can mess up your sleep as it suppresses melatonin, which tricks your brain into thinking that you are in the middle of the day, so you end up feeling more awake. This kind of light can be found everywhere. It is mainly seen in our gadgets and the lights in our homes; each device and light sends signals to your brain that the sun is still up. Blue light filtering glasses will also prevent you from having headaches and blurred vision caused by constant exposure to different screens or bright led lights at work.

Wear Quality Swimming Goggles

Naturally, you will want to go swimming either in a pool or the ocean during the summer. However, pool water and salt water aren’t good for your eyes because they cause irritation. As you probably know, swimming pools contain chlorine which is a harsh chemical that can cause it to be red and dry. For this reason, it is imperative to wear high-quality goggles while swimming, so your vision is protected from any chemicals in the water. Moreover, if you want to get extra protection, it is recommended to apply soothing eye drops after getting out of the pool to hydrate your eyes.

Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes

You probably know by now that it is vital to wash your hands and avoid rubbing your eyes to protect yourself from covid-19. Suppose you want to protect them in general. In that case, you should live by this rule: Eyes are susceptible to all kinds of infections, and rubbing them can worsen your allergies, especially if you rub them frequently or harshly. However, if you always feel the urge to rub your eyes, use saline eye drops instead.

Protection Against Sunburn

The word sunburn makes most people think of skin peeling off their faces and shoulders. However, many people ignore the sensitive skin around the eye area that can swell, get irritated, or itchy. Hence, you should always wear sunglasses and wide-brim hats to protect yourself from the sun. It is also good to apply natural sun cream to this area to prevent it from getting dry. 

Your eyes’ health should be on your list of priorities this summer, and protecting them isn’t that hard. All you need to do is drink water, wear the right pair of glasses and sunglasses, ensure protection while swimming and against sunburn, and avoid rubbing them frequently. If you do these things, you will have a fun summer with no eye irritations.