Eye Sun Damage Control

Host: How important is it to see an eye doctor if you experience symptoms of sun damage?

Dr. Laura D. Cook: Well, I think it's very important to be able to call your doctor if you notice something that's concerning and then let them decide when to have you come in or when it needs to be evaluated. But in general, if you notice any types of new growths, any kind of non-healing, ulcerated area or scab, those are important to have evaluated. In terms of growth on the eye, I would say the same thing. Decreased vision, gradual changes in vision are also important to have evaluated, but if it's a gradual process, it's often not an emergency and the other acute conditions we talked about with snow blindness or solar retinopathy; those are things that need to be evaluated right away. Testing for these types of conditions would mean going to the eye doctor and having a full eye evaluation and examination. The eye doctor can then check your vision, check the external health of the eye, check the internal health of the eye and be sure that you are not suffering from any of the complications associated with sun exposure.

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