Eye protection against cornea sunburn

[jck01]

Plan to head out for the summer holidays that we'll spend mostly outdoors.
I read up on cornea sunburn on a seemingly reputable site: https://www.healthline.com/health/eye-health/sunburned-eyes#treatments

It says it's mostly due to UV overexposure (needless to say I don't plan to stare right at the sun).

My questions are:
- I have prescription glasses with strong UV filters but no sunglasses. Does this protect my eyes against sunburn?
- If someone had cornea damage of any kind (that actually facilitates in e.g. blurred vision) does it always hurt? The article only mentions "can include".

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

First of all you want to get a wide brimmed full circle hat and wear it to protect your face, neck, ears, etc.  In our practice I always  make a point of looking at the face, head, neck for skin cancers. I find about 4-5 every year and in the past year found a melanoma on the back of a patient's head and probably saved the person's life.  Now about protecting your eye. Wearing UV blocking glasses will protect from light entering through the glasses but not for light coming in above or below the glasses (reflection from water or glass for below and from sun over the glasses).   Sunburn of the cornea is called "actinic keratitis" and is almost always painful.   Staring at the sun damages the back of the eye "Solar maculopathy"

[jck01]

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely get a hat you mentioned. As for the glasses, I need the prescription glasses to be on so I probably cannot wear a sports sunglasses that covers the entire eye (and I don't think they make those with prescriptions). I'll be sure to chose a time to enter water when the sun isn't the brightest.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Good hat with a brim.  They also make 'solar shields' that are inexpensive and fit over prescription glasses. They have side and top shields, come in a variety of colors and shades, we use them after cataract surgery. This is an example, still not as good as hat with brim all the way around  LINK   https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Shield-Fits-over-Sunglasses-Frame-Matte/dp/B000VZS17I/ref=asc_df_B000VZS17I/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=318712307445&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10198541083176756513&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023228&hvtargid=pla-590766107418&psc=1