Though it may sound strange, your eyes can indeed succumb to sunburn. It’s called photokeratitis. It’s essentially a sunburn on the cornea and whites of your eye.
Eyes, like skin, are vulnerable to sunburn, and a day outside without proper eye protection can leave you with stinging, red, dry eyes. Although the pain usually resolves within a few days, many years later that sun damage can cloud your vision, or even result in dangerous eyelid cancers.
Photokeratitis strikes most frequently in the summer, when you’re exposed to strong UV rays from the sun for hours without enough protection. The rays bounce off water, sand, or pavement and into your eyes, damaging the cells on their outer layers. Those cells die and shed.
If your eyes get burned, you won’t just be in pain—you’ll probably be extra-sensitive to light, too. The eyes will swell and tear up a lot, and vision could be blurry.
Your first plan of action is to see an ophthalmologist. They may need to prescribe antibiotics to prevent an infection, which sometimes happens afterward. If your eyes become infected, the corneas can scar over and become opaque, and if that happens in your line of vision, it could affect your sight permanently.
The whites of the eyes may take on a reddish or yellowish appearance, and over time cataracts can develop. There are even certain growths that can appear as a result of UV damage, and they may cover parts of the iris (the colored part of the eye) and pupil.
So now you have a reason to purchase that new pair of sunglasses you’ve been wanting. Check out our frame selection in our optical shop. Call us at 816-455-2020.
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