Patients treated for Sunscreen in Eye after Eclipse

Last week’s solar eclipse in the USA came with plenty of warnings not to look directly at the sun. While there doesn’t seem to have been a spike in scorched eyeballs, there have been quite a number of patients presenting at emergency rooms after putting sunblock in their eyes.

Nurse practitioner Trish Patterson told KRCR news station in the US, she hasn’t seen any cases of damage by looking directly at the sun, but she and her colleagues have seen a few patients who experienced pain after putting sunblock in their eyes. “One of my colleagues at moonlight here stated yesterday that they had patients presenting at their clinic that put sunscreen on their eyeball, and presented that they were having pain and they were referred to an ophthalmologist,” she said.

To be fair, you may get sunscreen in your eyes without intentionally putting it there. Sweat or accidentally rubbing your eyes can bring sunscreen into your eyes, especially if you try to cover the areas around your eye as much as possible and don't have a habit of washing hands.  Spraying sunscreen directly at your face can also get sunscreen into your eyes. Therefore, instead, spray it on your hands first, and then use your hands to apply it to your face. Also, sunscreens with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide may run less and thus stay in place better.

Sunscreen in your eyes can cause pain and irritation. The recommendation is to rinse with running water as the best first aid.

If you are wearing contact lenses, take them out. Then, flush your eyes with plenty of eye drops, saline, or running water, while blinking frequently.  

Whether you are preparing to watch an eclipse or just going out in the sun, it is important to protect your eyes properly from the sun and sunscreen. View the two education modules below to see how your customers can best look after their eyes.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Monday 28 August 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/08/26/for-the-eclipse-people-put-sunscreen-on-their-eyeballs/#5f83d1695047, viewed 28 August 2017, nbc4i.com/2017/08/25/patients-treated-for-putting-sunscreen-in-eyes-during-solar-eclipse-report-says, viewed 28 August 2017