5 Eye Conditions to Watch Out for This Summer

eye care tulsa - 5 eye conditions to watch out for this summer
August 26, 2021
James Ashford

The summer sunshine is relaxing and rejuvenating, so it’s natural to want to soak in every bit of it that you can. However, the summer also exposes you and your family to higher risks to your eyes. While eye care in Tulsa and beyond can help you monitor for these risks, you can never be too careful! So, let’s look at five conditions to keep an eye out for in the warmer months.

Photokeratitis

Photokeratitis is a condition where exposure to UV rays causes sunburns on the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye. Although photokeratitis is sometimes nicknamed snow-blindness, the most common summertime causes of this condition are reflections off the water and sand. Some of the typical symptoms include:

  • Pain and redness.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Gritty feeling.
  • Swelling and teariness.
  • Light sensitivity and halos.
  • Headaches.

If you think you or your child may have photokeratitis, an eye care professional may recommend home treatments like cold compresses or over-the-counter pain relievers and eyedrops. However, if it’s a severe case, they may prescribe antibiotics. Seek out providers of eye care in Tulsa or elsewhere to find a remedy for your specific condition.

To help prevent photokeratitis altogether, the best ways to protect yourself and your children include wearing protective clothing like wide-brimmed hats and good sunglasses that block 99% of UVA and UVB rays.

Swimmer’s eye

Swimming is a sport that is not easy on your eyes. Basically, swimmer’s eye is a condition where exposure to pool chemicals or salty seawater dries out the eyes and causes conjunctivitis (pink eye). The chemicals and salt remove the tear film that coats the eye. As a result, eyes become vulnerable to damage from what’s in the water.

In fact, besides pink eye, bacteria in the water can cause:

  • More dryness.
  • Redness.
  • Irritation.
  • Teariness.
  • And, worst case, corneal ulcers.

The best course of action here is prevention by wearing good goggles, particularly goggles that alsprotect against UV ray damage. A professional who specializes in eye care in Tulsa and beyond can provide recommendations for the best goggles to protect your children.

Dry eyes

Your tears exist to keep your eyes moist and comfortable. Summer heat, however, can cause your eyes to dry out, as can going too long without sufficient hydration. As mentioned above, dry eyes can also result from swimming in ocean saltwater or chemically-treated pool water. The symptoms are quite similar to those of photokeratitis but may be more easily treated. Indeed, common symptoms include:

  • A burning, itchy sensation or redness in your eyes.
  • Stringy mucus in or around your eyes.
  • Sensitivity to light, blurred vision or eye fatigue.
  • The feeling that you have something in your eyes.
  • Contact lens problems.
  • Watery eyes (which, ironically, is how the body responds to dry eyes).

You can treat dry eyes with eye drops and cold compresses unless the symptoms are severe or last for a long time. If symptoms persist longer than 24 hours, seek care from your eye doctor to prevent possible long-term damage to your eyes and vision. Be sure to keep properly hydrated outside as well.

Eye allergies

We’ve all seen the commercials – summer is a time of red, watery, itchy eyes caused by the much higher pollen levels of spring and summer. The proper name is seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, but whatever you call it, it’s an annoying condition.

Eye care in Tulsa or elsewhere can help you discover if you’re having an allergic reaction. This reaction is caused by the body’s release of histamines, which cause all the classic allergy symptoms. Treatment and prevention are what you’d expect:

  • Avoid rubbing the eyes.
  • Avoid makeup and contacts.
  • Soothe the eyes with cold compresses and preservative-free eye drops.
  • For severe allergies, you may need anti-histamines, either over the counter or prescribed.

Corneal abrasion

Corneal abrasions are actual injuries to the eye. They appear as scratches on the cornea, which is the clear tissue that covers the iris (the colored part of the eye) and the pupil. These scratches may be caused by simply getting sand in your eye. On the other hand, they may result from an injury that happens while playing sports. Ultimately, the causes of corneal abrasions vary:

  • Poke your eye with a fingernail, pen or another object.
  • Get dirt, sand, sawdust or other foreign matter in your eye.
  • Get chemicals in your eye.
  • Rub your eyes too hard.
  • Wear bad or overworn contacts.
  • Play sports without safety eyewear.

A corneal abrasion is a real injury that can have real consequences. So, be sure to consult with a professional if you think this may have happened. Also, try not to rub your eyes, and get help quickly.

Keep summer fun for your eyes by receiving eye care in Tulsa and nationwide

Summer is great, offering lots of ways to get active and outside. But, be sure that you and your children protect your eyes from all the risks that summer creates. Also, remember that getting regular eye exams is a crucial part of monitoring eye health. At Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma, get access to eye care in Tulsa with a high-quality, pre-paid vision plan.

With negotiated savings built into every plan, our focus is on your family’s eye health so you can get the care you need without worrying about cost. Discover more quality advice on safety, prevention and treatment in our blog, and contact us today to learn more about how we can help your eyes this summer and year-round!

Not sure where to get started with recommending self-funded plans? Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma is pre-paid plan provider with and extensive of specialists who deliver eye care in Tulsa and nationwide with excellent value for employers and plan recipients.

Find out more about our self-funded plans and other flexible options.

GET LASIK DISCOUNT

Learn about benefits of LASIK for Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma members.

Let's Talk About You

Let us know if you have any questions or if you’d like to chat.

Popular blog posts

Top 5 KPIs to Track When Assessing Plan Performance and Satisfaction

Top 5 KPIs to Track When Assessing Plan Performance and Satisfaction

As a broker, you need to maintain a diverse product portfolio so you can help companies build packages adapted to their needs and budgets. Tracking these 5 key performance indicators when comparing plans will help you better identify the ones that are more likely to...

How to Get Discounts on Frames and Discontinued Lines

How to Get Discounts on Frames and Discontinued Lines

Eyewear and contact lenses are vital to the optometry field. Keeping this in mind, doctors should be aware of the purchase costs of these goods to boost their revenue. Frame reps make commissions on sales, so they’re incentivized to sell as much as possible, but are...

Designing a Modern Optometry Practice

Designing a Modern Optometry Practice

One question that optometrists should consider is, “When patients walk into your optometry office, how do you want them to feel?” Naturally, patients desire comfortable, welcoming, and modern environments, as these characteristics put them at ease. Therefore,...

November 2022: Native American Heritage Month

November 2022: Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month celebrates a rich culture and educates people about issues unique to the Native American community. It’s an opportunity to draw attention to health issues that disproportionately affect Native Americans. It’s a group that is at higher...

Top 3 Reasons to Work with Smaller Plan Providers

Top 3 Reasons to Work with Smaller Plan Providers

In the healthcare benefits industry, brokers are essential in helping small businesses find plans. Smaller companies might not have the resources or experience to do thorough research into the options available. Fortunately, there are brokers who understand that...

3 Signs It’s Time to Review and Upgrade Your Benefits Package

3 Signs It’s Time to Review and Upgrade Your Benefits Package

A routine inventory of your benefits package can tell you where you may be able to reduce spending and, equally importantly, can also ensure that it continues to meet the needs of employees. That’s why Vision Care Direct of Oklahoma recommends reviewing your benefits...

October 2022: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 2022: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You might be wondering about the link with vision health. The truth is that a simple eye exam can sometimes detect early signs of cancer. Breast cancer can result in metastasis. When cancer cells break away from the main tumor, they...

Understanding the Ins and Outs of the Vision Plans You Accept

Understanding the Ins and Outs of the Vision Plans You Accept

For eye doctors in Tulsa OK, as well as other states, a regular review of the plans you’re currently accepting, and their ins and outs, is something you should be doing. By understanding the vision plans you accept, you can better identify how you are paid and the...

Top Strategies for Helping Plan Providers Meet Their Goals

Top Strategies for Helping Plan Providers Meet Their Goals

When trying to reduce healthcare spending, employers who offer employee benefits in the state of Oklahoma, as well as anywhere else, should be aware of one fact: there are options available that don’t increase the costs to employees via high deductibles. As a broker,...

Rethinking How You Offer Value Part 3: Build Digital Connections

Rethinking How You Offer Value Part 3: Build Digital Connections

The pandemic has sped up the digital transformation. Many professionals are embracing the virtual world because they realize connections matter. We've been sharing tips about how to rethink the way you offer value as a broker who offers plans accepted by an...

eGuide: Top 10 Ways Vision Care Direct Makes a Broker’s Job Easier

eGuide: Top 10 Ways Vision Care Direct Makes a Broker’s Job Easier

Top 10 Ways eGuide - Vision Care Direct Makes a Broker’s Job EasierOur eGuide is chocked full of ways Vision Care Direct can simplify working with a vision plan.  When you quote a vision plan certainly you are looking at the price and size of the network, and so is...

December 2022: Plan Ahead for Health Awareness Month

December 2022: Plan Ahead for Health Awareness Month

As the year comes to an end, now is a great time to encourage your clients to look back on 2022. Health Awareness Month is also right around the corner. You can prepare by developing some initiatives to help clients improve access to healthcare and vision care in...

Search blog posts