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Red itchy eyes *only* in warm/tropical water (even with goggles), why?

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Mossy 757
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Re: Red itchy eyes *only* in warm/tropical water (even with goggles), why?

Postby Mossy 757 » Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:10 pm

junebug wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:05 am
Mossy 757 wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:52 pm
Definitely the salt content of the water, it's horribly abrasive against corneas and in warmer climes the salinity is usually very high, and usually crystalizes on and around the eyes much faster than in colder climates. If you can truly rule out sunburned eyes and bacteria, I'd immediately look at sediment or salinity. When I was in Charleston, SC the sediment in the water was so significant my hands bled from the abrasion on my control bar, had never happened to me before just riding in the Atlantic Ocean.
I have lived in Charleston for most of my adult life and I have never heard anyone ever say this or anything like it.
Talking about exclusively riding in extremely brown choppy water during Fort2Battery 2 years ago. It was stark, same control bar I use every single time I ride and for the 3 days I was in Charleston I rubbed all the skin off both my palms...I guess I just figured it was the silty water, that's the only big variable there I can attribute it to.

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marlboroughman
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Re: Red itchy eyes *only* in warm/tropical water (even with goggles), why?

Postby marlboroughman » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:03 am

It might be beginning of surfers eye (pterygium). It will bother you more in stronger winds and drier air since you loose lubrication sooner and from then on your eyes have no protection from the salt and are getting baked with UV. Try gel type lubrication. If you don't use glasses this thing will just grow and require operation.

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Re: Red itchy eyes *only* in warm/tropical water (even with goggles), why?

Postby junebug » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:35 am

Mossy 757 wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:10 pm
junebug wrote:
Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:05 am
Mossy 757 wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:52 pm
Definitely the salt content of the water, it's horribly abrasive against corneas and in warmer climes the salinity is usually very high, and usually crystalizes on and around the eyes much faster than in colder climates. If you can truly rule out sunburned eyes and bacteria, I'd immediately look at sediment or salinity. When I was in Charleston, SC the sediment in the water was so significant my hands bled from the abrasion on my control bar, had never happened to me before just riding in the Atlantic Ocean.
I have lived in Charleston for most of my adult life and I have never heard anyone ever say this or anything like it.
Talking about exclusively riding in extremely brown choppy water during Fort2Battery 2 years ago. It was stark, same control bar I use every single time I ride and for the 3 days I was in Charleston I rubbed all the skin off both my palms...I guess I just figured it was the silty water, that's the only big variable there I can attribute it to.
I suppose anything is possible, but I would be surprised if it was due to silt in the water. Silt is smaller than sand, so it isn’t super abrasive. I (and many others) ride that area all the time and I’ve never heard of that happening to anyone.

There has been dredging going on in that area for a while. Maybe it was sand churned up from dredging?

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Re: Red itchy eyes *only* in warm/tropical water (even with goggles), why?

Postby StillLovinIt » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:11 pm

tautologies wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:31 pm
OP, when you look at the eye, is the red area the part of the what part of your eye that isn't covered by eyelids? Or are the whole eyeball red? If a line across your eyeball is red then I will still say its the sun.
The whole eyeball is red, i.e. also the section covered by the lids. It doesn't seem to be sun related.

Anyways, thank guys for all the responses. I was hoping other kiters had the same issue but maybe I do have some very unique allergy and should try some medication.

BTW, I can reduce the symptoms a bit by flushing the eyes with bottled water whenever I take a break. Also, after a crash I lean my head back and let the salt water rinse out of the helmet and hair. This way there's less salt water dripping into the eyes for the next 30 seconds.


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