Ophthalmologists spoke about the features of maintaining eye health in the summer

The long-awaited holiday season has arrived, and the weather has begun to improve. Therefore, many people rushed to water bodies – lakes, rivers, seas. But how to enjoy swimming with contact lenses? Do you always need to wear sunglasses? What to do if your eyes dry or watery in the heat? How to keep your eyes healthy in summer? All this and much more “MK” learned from ophthalmologists.

One of the most common problems with which patients turn to ophthalmologists in the summer is dry eye syndrome. Why does this disease begin in the heat?

– Dry eye syndrome or increased tearing is aggravated in the summer, but not because of the heat, but because of the use of air conditioners that dry the air. And if you spend a lot of time in the office, you may experience watery eyes, red eyes, or a gritty feeling in your eyes.

– Often, patients turn to the Internet, and then come. Now there are many drops on the market that are not medical preparations, but simply moisturize the eye. And they will not help when symptoms appear, because you need to figure out the cause of a dry eye in order to prescribe an effective treatment, – said Anna Semakina, head of the ophthalmology department at the Open Clinic, Candidate of Medical Sciences.

According to the doctor, when using a fan, problems with the eyes are also possible – if the air stream is directed at the face and eyes, which can cause instability of the tear film. Anna Semakina advises using preservative-free drops based on hyaluronic acid to moisturize the eyes in hot weather.

– I recommend using only those drops that are approved as medicines. Often, in the composition of drops, in addition to vitamins, there are preservatives that destabilize the tear film. The most dangerous preservative in drops is benzalkonium chloride, which causes damage to the tear film and damage to the cornea. For the prevention of dry eye syndrome, I would recommend that you follow the usual rules of visual load hygiene and the usual moisturizing drops based on hyaluronic acid when working with a computer. Vitamin preparations have not yet proven their effectiveness.

Another seasonal disease is conjunctivitis. According to Semakina, it can be viral, bacterial, allergic, and depending on the nature of the disease, treatment is prescribed: “There are no magic drops that would solve issues with any cause of the red eye. See a doctor who will prescribe medication. It will be cheaper both in terms of time and costs.”

In summer, Anna Semakina recommends that you always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV radiation: “Sunglasses in the summer should be with us everywhere and always, because ultraviolet is extremely harmful to all structures of the eye. It can cause damage to the cornea, up to a burn. UV radiation can also lead to decreased vision and the early development of cataracts. Choose plastic goggles (they are safer) with a brown or dark finish and pay attention to the UV index. Order glasses in proven opticians, where there is a guarantee that the plastic will be optical, filtering out UV rays. Cheap sunglasses don’t protect against UV rays.”

The doctor also spoke about the rules of conduct for those who wear contact lenses: “When wearing lenses, you should not come into contact with water in order to avoid infection of the eyes. If you prefer daily wear, I always recommend wearing disposable contact lenses and monitoring the condition of the anterior surface of the eye.

With any inflammation, as well as with eye manifestations of allergies, lenses should not be worn. Also keep in mind that you can’t wear lenses all your life – over time, they cause irreversible changes in the cornea, so after 5-10 years you need to think about other methods of vision correction, primarily laser surgery.

Irina Afanasova, an ophthalmologist, orthokeratologist, specialist in contact vision correction at the Na Presnya CDC, spoke about a new type of lenses – night (or orthokeratological): “Night lenses are not a surgical treatment of vision problems. They are worn at night, and then throughout the day you can do without lenses. To achieve the effect, you need to sleep in orthokeratology lenses for 6-8 hours. Night lenses not only correct vision, but also stop the progression of myopia, especially in children, who can wear them already at the age of 6-7 years. In addition, night lenses are a good solution for patients who lead an active lifestyle, such as playing sports. Orthokeratological lenses are selected for a year, they are easy to use – they are worn only at night, and for the day you can forget about the correction.

Before selection, each patient undergoes a thorough diagnosis, it is possible to make night lenses to order, even with severe myopia. “Night lenses are also suitable for far-sighted people, but only up to 40 years. After 40 years, near vision decreases due to age-related changes, and the patient will be dissatisfied with the result when using night lenses,” said Irina Afanasova.

However, Dr. Afanasova advises in the summer to devote more time to personal hygiene and monitor the condition of the lenses: “In the summer, the risk of developing infectious diseases of the eye increases, so you need to carefully handle the lenses. In addition, contact with water, dust should be avoided, and if lacrimation, inflammation, photophobia appear, the lenses should be removed immediately.