Summer is a time of year when special attention must be paid to eye and ear health to avoid damage or injury. During this season, eyes and ears are more exposed to the harmful effects of the sun, high temperatures and frequent contact with water and chemicals present in swimming pools. This is why it is important to take measures to protect these vital organs, as they are especially vulnerable to these environmental factors.
It is important to protect your eyes from the sun in the same way you protect your skin.
Fabio Delgado, optical director at Cottet, explains that just as you protect your skin from the sun with sunscreen, it is important to be aware and take special precautions to protect your eyes during the summer. A study by the General Council of Opticians-Optometrists of Spain shows that eye problems increase by 25% during the summer months. In countries with Mediterranean latitudes, radiation is much higher and solar, infrared and ultraviolet rays can cause damage or aggravate existing eye conditions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning for some time about the deterioration of the ozone layer in the atmosphere, which has led to an increase in eye diseases such as actinic keratoconjunctivitis, retinal degeneration, corneal ulcers and the earlier appearance of cataracts. Therefore, it is essential to take preventive measures to protect the eyes during the summer.
The type of glasses you choose to protect your eyes from the sun is crucial. Not all sunglasses are suitable for this purpose, and you should be picky when choosing the right ones. The most important thing is that the lenses of your glasses have approved filters that protect against UV radiation. If you use poor quality lenses that do not adequately filter this radiation, you may be at greater risk than if you do not wear sunglasses at all. This is because dark lenses that do not filter UV radiation cause the pupil to dilate, allowing more radiation to enter the inside of the eye, which can be harmful, explains Fabio Delgado, optical director at Cottet.
When you engage in outdoor activities such as playing sports or going for a walk, you are exposed to small doses of UV radiation that accumulate and can cause tissue damage over time. Prolonged sun exposure can cause a number of problems, including eye irritation, conjunctival tumors, pterygium, accelerated cataract formation, and macular degeneration in the retina. In addition, it is important to note that the skin of the eyelids can also suffer progressive damage from sun exposure, which can lead to the early appearance of wrinkles.
Sport and eye protection
It is recommended to protect the eyes during sports, especially during the hours of greatest sun exposure between 12 and 15 hours. Dr. Óscar Gris Castellón of the IMO Foundation suggests the use of sunglasses to prevent the entry of foreign bodies and avoid accidental trauma. Their use is also recommended for water, since chlorine in swimming pools can cause irritation on the ocular surface and increase the incidence of conjunctivitis due to germs present in the water, especially in children who often open their eyes underwater.
Purchase in specialized centers, choice of lens type and crystal treatment
Until now, the European Union used a scale of 5 types of filters, from 0 to 4, to recognise their CE marking, which offer different levels of protection against sunlight. Glasses with categories 0, 1 and 2 are ideal for the city or on cloudy days, while categories 3 and 4 are designed for sunny environments, water and high mountain sports, and driving, as they only transmit between 3 and 8% of the light. It is important to purchase approved and safe glasses with the European Community (CE) seal from specialised centres.
Cottet experts recommend choosing the type of filter and protection according to the treatment of the glass.
Some options are:
- Black polarized glasses:
They reduce glare and distortion, but decrease visibility in low-light conditions. They are ideal for daytime driving, water sports and high mountain driving, as they can reduce braking distance by 7 metres at 80 km/h, according to European road safety studies. - Glasses with brown, green and blue lenses:
They are the standard colors that least alter color vision, and green offers greater visual comfort. - Glasses with pink lenses:
They highlight shadows and contrasts, being more effective in low light conditions. - Glasses with yellow, amber and red lenses:
They filter blue light and define shadows, being versatile for all conditions. - Clear glasses:
They are ideal for very low light conditions, such as at night. Mirrored glasses are suitable for improving contrast on bright days, although it is important to know the type of filter they have.
There are other types of crystal treatment that can be beneficial for visual protection and health.
Two of the most notable are:
- Photochromic crystals:
These lenses automatically adapt to light conditions, darkening in bright environments and becoming lighter in darker ones. They are very useful in situations where you have to go from brightly lit environments to darker ones and vice versa, and are especially recommended for people who spend a lot of time outdoors. - Anti-reflective lenses:
These lenses reduce reflections on the surface of the lenses themselves, allowing for sharper, clearer vision. They are especially useful for people who spend a lot of time in front of computer screens or in environments with a lot of artificial light, as they reduce glare and eye fatigue.
Hearing protection in summer
It is essential to take precautions and follow specific care to avoid possible otitis externa during the first summer baths. Heat and humidity are two of the main causes that favour the appearance of ear infections, since water can be retained in the ear. For this reason, it is essential to dry yourself properly after bathing.
It is important to pay special attention to children, as they are more vulnerable to these pathologies. With the arrival of summer camps and the greater exposure to water that this entails, it is crucial to make both parents and children aware of the need to protect and properly care for their ears, including by using earplugs if necessary.
According to studies, between 80 and 85% of cases of otitis externa occur during the summer, which means that in Spain one in every two hundred people suffers from this condition during the summer season.
Laia Iglesias, technical director of audiology at Cottet, points out that during the summer, ears are exposed to harmful factors more frequently than at other times of the year, mainly due to frequent contact with water. Humidity in the external ear canal creates an environment conducive to the proliferation of bacteria and fungi, which can lead to the appearance of external otitis. In addition, exposure to water in swimming pools, rivers or the sea can cause wax plugs in the ear canal to swell, which not only causes discomfort but can also lead to mild hearing loss.
Otitis and its symptoms such as pain, discomfort or mild hearing loss, among others, can be avoided by using the right earplugs. These should be customized to fit each user’s ear canal perfectly, without causing discomfort and reducing moisture in the ear.
Tips and recommendations to maintain good hearing health in summer
Hearing health specialists recommend the use of custom-made earplugs for all people who swim, both sporadically and regularly, since each age and ear has different characteristics. These earplugs adapt perfectly to the anatomy of the ear canal and are especially recommended for children, whose ear canals are smaller and therefore more likely to retain water. The use of earplugs is also recommended for people who are predisposed to contracting otitis or who have undergone ear surgery. However, it is not necessary for healthy people to use them and if they are used, they must be placed carefully to avoid damaging the ear.
It is also important to take steps to prevent water and moisture build-up in the ears after swimming, such as drying the ears thoroughly with a towel and avoiding prolonged exposure to water. It is also essential to monitor the water quality in swimming pools to prevent infections and hearing health problems.