Keeping your eyes safe is a summer priority
By Charles Christian
Extra outdoor time in the summer calls for an increased need to take care of our eyes.
Local optometrist Dr. Amy Fitzgerald said that with kids being out of school and adults getting ready for more outdoor adventures, summer marks the perfect time to schedule your annual eye exam.
“We encourage annual eye exams,” Fitzgerald said. “First of all, this helps ensure you are wearing the best set of glasses to give you the sharpest vision.”
The doctor said there are obvious, as well as not-so-obvious, safety precautions to ensure healthy eyes and better vision as we grow older.
“Not wearing sunglasses ages your eyes,” she said. “You risk things like cataracts and macular degeneration when you don’t wear them, especially in the summertime.”
One of Fitzgerald’s patients, Amy Sharp, said that her eyes changed considerably in her 40s. Now in her 50s, she even recently experienced a sudden change that caused her to get an updated prescription only a month after a recent adjustment to her lenses.
“Even though I had just had the exam,” Sharp said, “there was just a little difference in my astigmatism. So, now I’m getting the lenses replaced again, just within a month.”
Swimming can also pose a danger to our eyes, Fitzgerald said. She said that people tend to just jump into a lake or the ocean, not realizing that algae or diseases in non-chlorinated water can cause vision damage. Even contacts in chlorinated waters like swimming pools can cause severe irritation to the eyes. Furthermore, she said optometrists are always on the lookout for a form of skin cancer that is specific to the eyes.
“There are eyelid skin cancers,” Fitzgerald said. “About (5%) to 10% of cancers happen on eyelids, and consistent eye exams can help us to address this or other eye issues early.”
Annual eye exams, wearing sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of UV rays, wearing goggles while swimming and wearing protective lenses when playing outdoor sports can help people of all ages protect their eyes and ensure the best vision possible for a lifetime.
