- Position your eyes under a faucet and flush out the sunscreen with a warm stream of water.
- Tip your head back and pour a glass of warm water over your eyes if you don't have access to a faucet.
- Rest your eyes for 15-30 minutes to give them a chance to recover.
Flushing Your Eyes
Rinse your eyes with warm water under a running faucet for 15 minutes. In a bathroom, set a faucet to a gentle flow of lukewarm water. Bend over and position your eye under the faucet, turning your head as necessary. Let the water flow across your face so that it passes over your eye, and hold your eye open to rinse it. Continue to do so for about 15 minutes, to completely flush the sunscreen from your eye. Alternatively, step into the shower. Then, with your face tilted toward the shower head, let a gentle stream of warm water flow from your forehead down into your held-open eye. Always wash your hands beforehand. If you wear contacts, remove them before flushing your eyes.
Pour warm water over your open eyes if you don't have faucet access. Use a clean cup filled with warm water to rinse the eyes. With your head tilted back, rest the edge of the cup on the bone just beneath your eye. Then gently tilt the cup to spill water into your eye socket, holding your eye open with your free hand.
Alternatively, apply eye drops to the inner corner of your eye. Squeeze a few drops, then do your best to open your eye, blinking rapidly to allow the liquid to rinse the surface of your eye. Use mild, moisturizing eye drops—avoid any that say “super cleaning” on the label or include hydrogen peroxide on their ingredients list, as these can further harm and already irritated eye. Use eye drops in addition to warm water to better flush your eye, restore moisture, and soothe irritation after the first rinse.
Rest your eyes for 15-30 minutes. Move to a shady or dim area and keep your eyes closed for a while. Your eyes have just been through a lot and are most likely reddened and still a bit irritated, and will need a chance to recover. Wet a wash cloth with cold water and lay it over your eyes to help relieve some pain as you recover. If your eyes still sting after a few hours, contact emergency services for help. If you’re helping someone else, have them tell you how they’re feeling every so often.
Prevention
Spray sunscreen on your hands, not your face. It’s so tempting to just aim and spray, we know, but that’s a recipe for disaster. Instead, spray that sunscreen into your hands, give it a few rubs, then apply it to your face with your fingers, This allows for more deliberate application. In addition, stick sunscreens also allow for easier application that lessens the chance of eye irritation.
Use mineral-formula sunscreen around your eyes. Mineral-based sunscreens, also known as physical sunscreens, such as those made with zinc or titanium dioxide, are generally more gentle on the skin and accordingly, won’t irritate your eyes as much if they happen to find their way in.
Help small children apply sunscreen, and keep it out of their reach. Kids aren’t the best at thorough and proper sunscreen application (and you can’t really blame them). Their little hands are more likely to deposit a glob of sunscreen right into their eyes. To avert this, help your kid with sunscreen application, and teach them to be careful around their eyes as you do. Also, keep your sunscreen on a high shelf or locked cabinet, where they’re unlikely to find and use it unsupervised.
Rub the sunscreen in completely. This serves a dual purpose: first, it ensures that the sunscreen is completely absorbed and can more effectively protect you from UV rays. As an added bonus, thoroughly rubbing the sunscreen into your skin ensures that no stray or excess sunscreen can slide into your eyes as you go about your day.
Wear sunglasses for added protection. Of course, it’s important to protect your thinnest, most sensitive skin (like the area around your eyes) from harmful UV rays, but you can take some pressure off the sunscreen situation by wearing large, dark sunglasses, as well. Top it off with a wide-brimmed hat to stay cool and safe on your sunny days outside.
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