7 Expert-Approved Ways to Protect Your Eyes From Summer Sun

This summer, protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging UV rays with these seven simple tips. From wearing sunglasses to eating a balanced diet, there are plenty of ways to keep your eyes safe in the heat.

Wear sunglasses

One of the easiest — and most stylish — ways to take care of your eyes is by wearing sunglasses during the day. When your eyes aren’t protected in the sun, they’re exposed to multiple types of UV rays, which can increase your risk of certain diseases, including photokeratitis and cataracts. For maximum protection, opt for polarized lenses that filter more light than other sunglasses and reduce glare from reflective surfaces like water and snow. Additionally, choose gray or smoke-colored lenses over dark ones as they provide better protection from UV rays.

Keep your eyes hydrated

During summer, your eyes can dry out quickly due to air-conditioned spaces or spending time in swimming pools. Dehydrated eyes can cause burning, irritation and light sensitivity which may worsen if you wear contact lenses. To help keep them lubricated and stave off dehydration, avoid alcohol consumption and use eye drops if needed.

Eat a well-balanced diet

Eating a nutritious diet can also benefit your eye health. Aim for a meal plan that includes antioxidant-rich foods such as raw bell peppers (vitamin C), seeds, nuts and sweet potatoes (vitamin E) as well as leafy greens and orange vegetables (vitamin A). On the other hand, sugary drinks and fried foods should be avoided as they may raise your risk of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.

Limit screen time

Staring at a laptop or phone screen for too long can irritate your eyes leading to eye strain symptoms such as headaches, light sensitivity or blurred vision. To limit this effect while using electronic screens follow the 20-20-20 rule – take a 20 second break every 20 minutes to look at an object that’s 20 feet away – lower brightness on devices switch to dark mode or wear blue-light blocking glasses when necessary.

Avoid looking directly at the sun

Staring at the sun for too long isn’t just uncomfortable – it can cause serious damage to your retinas potentially causing solar retinopathy with milder symptoms ranging from watery eyes to headache or more severe cases leading to blurred vision or blind spots which may be irreversible in some cases so make sure you seek medical attention if needed after viewing an eclipse or looking at the sun directly for too long .

Protect your eyes while outside or playing sports

Aside from wearing sunglasses there are other effective ways to protect your eyes while you’re spending time outside such as wearing wide brimmed hats/visors when gardening/hiking goggles when going to beach/pools protective glasses when playing sports sunscreen on face etc .

Get quality sleep

If you’ve ever woken up with dry itchy eyes after poor night’s sleep then you know how lack of quality sleep can impact eye health – science backs this up with one study finding correlation between low quality sleep & dry eye disease so make sure you get enough restful sleep each night .