eye damage from surfing

by **illmatic** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:40 pm

Hey has anyone had really sore eyes the night and day after surfing? I was surfing for about 3 hours yesterday and it was very bright out. I guess too many UV rays to my eyes. Anyway, anyone know any secrets to help reduce the soreness. Also, why is this condition not more common considering it's usually sunny and bright out when a lot of people surf?
Thanks.

**Sponsor**

by **easty** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:26 pm

As a matter of fact , while out surfing this morning I saw a guy with dark swimming gogs on , and I have seen specialist ones availible to buy from shops for $89 or so.

by **tomcat360** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:12 am

yea I used to get it bad from surfing, fishing, boating, kayaking, waterskiing......anything in/near the water. I did some reading and some advice from my dad and bro, I went out and got some good sunglasses for the shore. Costa Del Mar makes some great glasses, they are expensive, but if you keep up with them they are great.

the affects of UV light to the eyes is bad. cataracts and retina damage only top it off. dark glasses will make your eyes feel better at the time, but that night they are still gonna burn, and your head is still gonna hurt. what you need to be going for is polarization. it takes off the glare, which is a life saver.

I've got some old, but very nice Aviators that my cousin used, and didn't need them anymore, so passed them on to me. they got the hooks around the ears, so it would take a mavericks wave or teahpoo to knock them off. I really dont care how they look, they are worth it.

I really dont wanna put up with the crap that some people do for not keeping up with their senses. its not worth losing your sight over 100-200 bucks of a nice set of glasses, which will last you a good 10 years if you keep up with them. most have lenses that are virturally scratch proof, except with like a diamond, only problem that those are usually glass, which fogs alot, especially for me, because I don't tolerate hot temperatures well, and where I live is the humidity capital of the world.

its worth it. wear glasses, dont look while people are welding, and wear ear plugs whenever there is anything loud at all.

by **ntmonkey** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:14 am

I uh...wear my contacts when I go out. They have UV protection on them. I'm probably not supposed to be I can't see the waves coming if I don't. Also, I've got really dark brown eyes that may not be as sensitive as those with lighter colored eyes.

Yes, I have lost a contact or two surfing. It sucks.

peace,

Lu

by **tomcat360** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:18 am

im still correction free

I'm enjoying it while I have it (16 now, suposively the first dive is college time)

by **Stone Fox** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:53 am

£2 on a specsaver strap. Its a funky coloured piece of elastic-y material that goes round the back of your head and attaches to your sunglasses, holding them on.

I've worn my shades windsurfing with one of these, and no matter how hard I wiped out they stayed on. + it looks cool.

by **sinistapenguin** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:48 am

Tricky one - don't get too many sunny days surfing myself!!

On the eyes thing - I've got to pick up my first pair of glasses on the weekend - Gutted!

by **drowningbitbybit** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:24 pm

illmatic wrote:Hey has anyone had really sore eyes the night and day after surfing?

Yup, RedEye!

I get it real bad, maybe because Im fair skinned?

I suffer real bad on summer evening sessions on west-facing beaches. Or south facing beaches in winter.

Other than goggles there isnt a lot you can do about it

Except pick breaks where you dont end up looking directly at the sun while you're waiting for a wave.

You can get eye-drops from the chemists which reduce the redness after your session.
And, of course, sunglasses between sessions

by **jonny** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:31 pm

Several years ago I got a good, hard slap in the face from the lip of a wave and for some reason had my eyes open. A couple of days later my eye was still stinging so I went to the quacks and he looked around and just gave me eyedrops.

Two weeks later, my eye was still watering all the time and really giving me grief so my other half sent me to the Eye Casualty Hospital.

Turns out I had a grain of sand embedded into my eyeball from the wave that they had to remove with a needle whist I was fully conscious!!!!

AAARRRGGGHHH - makes my eyes water now just thinking back to it!!

by **star** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:27 pm

wonder if you can get normal contact lenses that are like sunnies? i was out today and it was cloudy but the glare off the water was still unbareable after an hour or so.. i dont need glasses but uv contacts sounds good.

i use the eyedrops after surfing as well - like magic!! altho jonnys story makes me never want to go near a grain of sand again...

by **RiPcUrLcHiCk** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:28 am

i was surfing for most of the day a few wks bak, and on the way home they were a bit itchy, then about 3 hours later, i tried to go to sleep, but my eyes stung too much to shut, and when i opened them, they struggled. i couldnt open, or shut my eyes, so i couldnt go to sleep, i was in tears for most of the nite, theen 1 in the morning, dad took me to the hospital to get them cheked out, and some lady put drops in while i was whaiting, which numbed them for most of the 6 hours that i was whaiting. and then i fiiinally got in and all they did was give me some eyedropsthat wer thik and gluggy, they helped eventually

by **glider** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:47 am

If you wear sunnies in the water, won't they constantly be covered in droplets of water - obscuring your vision? Wouldn't this cause it's own problems (headaches etc).

Think about all those times you're surfing a wave & you have to shake the water from your head..... yet alone duck-diving.... :shock:

by **tomcat360** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:21 am

well, usually the dropletts kinda fade out on mine. I agree, they are annoying, but I have figured out that I just dont shake, and just let it be, its easier. the drops dont really give me a headache, but its kinda annoying...

by **thegrove** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 4:19 am

me mate went to sumatra with a pair of rip curl surf sunnies but ddnt even last one session with em coz they kept fallin off.i go home with my eyes stingin all the time it sucks. the salt water makes my eyes all red as well. thanx for all the advise above.

by **drowningbitbybit** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:35 pm

I saw the eye-doc last week and it looks like there is some damage in both my eyes :cry:

Hopefully nothing to worry about, but definitely something I dont want to get any worse. So I've just bought a pair of the seaspecs sunglasses to wear while surfing. Dont care if I look an idiot, thats so not important compared to keeping your eyes in good health.

I'll let you know how I get on next time I surf in a sunny session

by **MicroFatCat** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:53 pm

I'm short sighted and I wear glasses. My mum won't let me have contacts so I go in half-blind:(
Are hired longboards' performance the same as bought longboards?

by **beachbum-sa** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 5:53 pm

I had the same problem and even got a tirigium (not sure of the spelling) - it's when the white of your eye starts growing over the coloured part towards the middle and looks shite. Anyway, got it zapped off by lazer at an eye clinic. One thing that helps with the water is something called C-Thru we have here in South Africa. It makes water run of your glasses like water off a duck's back. It's actually made to use on your car windshield and works like a charm.

Cheers
BeachbumSA

Surfing accommodation in South Africa

by **MicroFatCat** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:28 pm

C-Thru? Is it like sticky stuff or oil? I think I've seen that somewhere.

by **tomcat360** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:39 pm

it sounds kinda like rain-x that we have in the states. I put it on the side windows of our cars and on the windows of my boat.

never thought of what happens to it on sunglasses

by **MicroFatCat** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:42 pm

Anyway, I wouldn't want to try it on glasses. At least, not in the sea. The waves threw my friend's bodyboard up and hit her nose. Aegh! Would've been worse if it was a board, and glasses.

eye damage from surfing

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