THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605020170
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Jack Dempsey
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Tourists who take their eyes seriously during vacation are fortunate. If you prepare, the most likely problems you will encounter are relatively minor and easily prevented.
That means not only protected eyesight, but also less loss of vacation time and expense to obtain medical care here.
Caring for your eyes on vacation begins before you leave home, says ophthalmologist Jerome H. Goldschmidt, who practices in Elizabeth City and Southern Shores: Pack a spare pair of glasses.
Pack the name and phone number of the last person who examined your eyes.
Have an optician check all the glasses you will wear for ultraviolet radiation protection.
Have eye conditions treated before you leave home.
Countless visitors lose their glasses here every summer. One local optical firm reports serving up to 20 people each Monday who have lost their glasses - mainly in the surf - over the weekend.
Failing prevention (don't wear glasses in the surf), a spare pair may save considerable time searching for replacements.
If you don't have spare glasses, an optician on the Outer Banks can make new ones without an expensive and time-consuming examination by calling for the results of the last examination.
The sun's ultraviolet, or UV, radiation presents a more serious challenge because prolonged, unprotected exposure may increase the likelihood of cataracts later in life.
At the very least, you should wear broad-rimmed hats, even baseball caps, that shield the eye from direct sunlight.
Protective glasses are much more effective. But many people fail to realize that protective substances in glasses are colorless, which means clear glasses may block UV radiation and tinted sunglasses may not. An optician can determine the degree of protection in about a minute.
If you need to buy new sunglasses, make sure they block at least 99 percent of the UV radiation.
Conditions such as inflammation should be treated before visiting the Outer Banks. Ophthalmologists back home are not inundated during vacation periods like the folks on the barrier islands. That means shorter waits and less lost time.
If friends, family and real estate offices on the Outer Banks can persuade incoming tourists to take these precautions, many visitors will enjoy healthier, less costly and uninterrupted vacations.
Once you're here, you can easily prevent other common problems.
Sunblock applied around the eyes can be carried by perspiration into the eye, causing painful inflammation. Although this usually clears up by itself, the distress may be prevented by keeping sunblock off the upper eyelid.
Sand and other foreign bodies in the eye cannot be fully prevented, but wearing sunglasses or other protective equipment helps.
Children are especially prone to trying to rub sand and other foreign bodies out of the eye, which may seriously scratch its surface. If tap water is the purest cleansing liquid available, lift the upper lid and gently pour the water to wash the substances away.
Furthermore, infants don't know they shouldn't look directly at the sun, which may cause damage. If they are left in a shaded playpen or crib, they should be checked frequently to ensure the ever-moving shade hasn't left them exposed.
Unfortunately, prevention is never completely effective. Many visitors suffer severe eye damage each summer and need prompt medical care. Sudden loss of vision, severe pain and sudden blurring of vision may be as serious as more obvious physical damage.
In such cases, call the nearest source of medical care. Describe the problem and ask for instructions on what steps to take and where the injured party should be taken, if necessary.
If a nearby medical provider cannot be reached quickly by phone, dial 911.
Although emergency medical services on the Outer Banks are excellent, urgent eyesight problems can be terrifying. And permanent. MEMO: Jack Dempsey has a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins
University and has published two books on health care. His columns are
based on interviews with area health care providers. Send comments and
questions to him at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head, N.C. 27959.
ILLUSTRATION: Jerome H. Goldschmidt
Says check glasses for UV protection
by CNB