How to keeping eyes safe and healthy when swimming in the sea

The salt in salt water is very drying and irritating to eyes with long term or regular. Regular surfers or sea swimmers are vulnerable to develop ‘surfers eye’ which is caused by a combination of the salt water exposure and the sun exposure. Although ‘surfers eye’ (also called a pterygium) is not dangerous - its a raised pink/

Red growth on the white part of the eye - is is very difficult to get rid of once you have it. The number one piece of advice is that, if you head is going under water in the sea for any regular period - wear goggles! This is most important for sea swimmers - unless you’re a very regular surfer - you won’t cumulatively be under water enough to make it worthwhile. There are specific salt water goggles which are better (less prone to fogging of the lenses etc.) and have UV protection. I’d highly recommend these. For anyone in the sea - I strongly recommend a daily preservative-free lubricating drop or spray, like our Instant relief eye spray - first thing in the morning and last thing before bed - and also to take to the beach with you. It’s honestly a Godsend when you get out of the sea and you feel your eyes getting tight and red. It’s also brilliant in case you get something - such as sand in your eye - and you want a clean and easy way to flush it out.