The water we drink, cook and shower with contains chlorine.
Washing our faces daily with water containing chlorine is something we don’t regularly think about. Can it be hard on your eyes, though? Should you worry about chlorine and contaminants that might cause eye irritation or infection?
In order to keep your eyes safe and healthy besides the different types of impurities encountered in tap water, there are some things to be taken into consideration.
Chlorinated water
The point of using chlorine is to keep water as clean and safe as possible. For the most part, this product does its job. But because it’s a chemical, it can cause a reaction on the eye’s surface and cause irritation.
If your eyes get a little red, teary and sensitive to light for a couple of hours after you have had a shower, it might be because of the chlorine. The best way to ease the pain is to wash your eyes with cool, clean water or a saline solution.
If the problem persists for longer than a few hours, it would be a good idea to check with a professional.
Chlorine kills most harmful things in the water, but some viruses and bacteria may survive in chlorinated water and cause infections.
Signs of infection
Typical signs of an eye infection include:
- Redness.
- Pain.
- Discharge that is yellowish or mucus-like.
- Vision problems.
- Sensitivity to light.
- Swelling.
In case of an eye infection opt for quick and correct treatment. If you don’t take the infection seriously you are risking further damage and scarring to the retina which will affect your vision in the long term.
with information from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-does-chlorine-affect-your-eyes/
