Canadian Yachting May 2020 - 10

SPECIAL FEATURE

EYE CARE

Beware of What You Cannot See
Story | Katherine Stone

hen every January ebbs and February approaches,
Canadians look forward to more hours of sunshine
AND actual sunshine. Seeing that sun poke
through the clouds on a winter's day is the most delightful sight
in the world and brings with it the hope of spring and the long
days on the water to come.
As a sailor and skier, I have spent more than half my life on
water, whether in a liquid or frozen form! As kids, we NEVER
wore a hat (except if it was really cold) and sunglasses were what
our parents wore. Well, I got older and realized that I could no
longer spend countless hours in the sun without some kind of
eye protection, as the glare made it almost impossible to see, even
with my dark brown eyes. I had never thought too much about
what type of sunglasses to buy - other than they had to look cool
when I was younger and more sophisticated as I got older. I
always had a pair in the car, sailing or ski bag, you know, like the
ones you get as a prize or freebie in a swag bag. So, I decided to
do a little research to learn more about protecting one of the most
useful organs that I own, which is a component of the intricate
frame of organize systems in my body, my eyes!
Most people think that proper eye care consists of visiting an
ophthalmologist or optometrist on a regular basis. These professionals can only recommend medicines, devices and procedures.
However, taking good care of your eyes and avoiding poor practices is up you. General health problems are often linked to any
type of problem that you may have with your eyes. Spending long
hours in front of any type of screen, whether it be a TV, iPad or
phone along with long hours driving cause strain and ill-use.
Smoking, especially chain smoking, causes loss of sight and is a
leader in diseases such as macular degeneration - creating dead
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Can adian Ya cht i ng

spots in the eyes. But there is something even more sinister
lurking out there.
Have your eyes ever felt gritty and watery after a day on the
water or on the slopes? Did you have temporary vision loss or felt
a burning sensation? If this sounds familiar, you have most likely
been exposed to UV rays from light reflection. "Even short-term
effect of over UV exposure can cause a 'sunburn' of the eyes.
Symptoms are pain, tearing, photophobia [an experience of
discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure] or blurred
vision," says Dr. Maria Sirounis Sirmis, a Toronto optometrist.
"It can take 24-72 hours to resolve with artificial tears and sometimes even steroids."
Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis is a painful eye condition
caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays from either natural (intense sunlight) or artificial
(the electric arc during welding) sources. Ultraviolet light is
invisible high energy light that can penetrate exposed parts of the
body - including the eyes. In a nutshell, you need to be aware of
both UV-A and UV-B.
UV-A rays hurt the central vision by damaging the retina at
the back of the eye causing macular degeneration. UV-B is what
gives you the burn and affects the front part of the eye (cornea
and lens) by absorbing most of these rays, causing more damage
than UV-A rays. They are linked to photokeratitis, formation of
cataracts, ocular melanoma (cancer of the eye or eyelids), and
benign growths on the eye's surface (pinguecula and pterygium).
"Even though we can not see UV light, it is absorbed into the eye
tissues. The amount of UV is cumulative which can cause long
term eye problems," explains Dr. Sirounis Sirmis. "Just as we use
sunscreen to protect our skin, we also must protect our eyes by
MAY 2020

Canadian Yachting May 2020

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