How to Make Your Eyes Stop Hurting after Swimming

Do your eyes tend to get red and irritated after you swim in a pool? That's a reaction to chloramines, which are chemical compounds that start to build up in pool water when it hasn't been properly treated with pool chemicals. The resulting eye irritation eventually goes away on its own, but in the meantime, there are methods you can use to soothe your eyes. If you've been swimming in salty ocean water, the same methods will make your eyes feel good as new.

Part 1 - Flushing Your Eyes

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→ Rinse your eyes with cool water. After swimming, residue from the water may remain in your eyes, and rinsing them with cool water will wash away traces of chloramines or other substances that may be causing irritation. Hold your face over a sink and slowly pour water from a cup into one eye, then the other. Dry your eyes with a soft towel when you're finished.

→ While flushing your eyes probably won't provide immediate relief, it's an important first step, since your eyes will stay irritated as long as they have residue in them.

→ Cool water may help the inflammation go down, but warm water is also fine to use if you prefer it.

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→ Use a saline solution to restore moisture to your eyes. If your eyes are feeling dry and scratchy after swimming, a saline solution can help to soothe them. Saline is essentially synthetic tears, and it helps add moisture to make your eyes feel better right away. Look for standard saline eye drops at the drugstore, checking the expiration date first to make sure it’s still good. After you get out of the pool, use a few drops according to instructions.

→ Keep a small bottle of saline solution in your beach bag so you have it on hand when you need it.

3

→ Try a few drops of milk. This method for relieving sore eyes is not scientifically proven to work, but swimmers in the know rely on it to soothe their eyes after a long day in the pool. Use a dropper or a spoon to drip a few drops of milk into your eyes. Blink a few times and wipe the excess milk away. Milk is basic and supposedly has the effect of neutralizing the pool chemicals, helping the pain go away.

→ Use this method at your own risk. No scientific studies have been conducted to show whether this works or what potential side effects it may have.

→ If you experience further irritation after using milk, rinse your eyes with water to remove it.

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→ Try a baking soda eye wash. This is a home remedy thought to help soothe irritated eyes. Like the milk remedy, it is not scientifically verified. If you want to try this method, mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 1/2 cup water. Dip a cotton ball in the mixture and squeeze it over your eyes to bathe them. Blink a few times so your eyes get coated. If the irritation increases or doesn't go away within a few minutes, rinse your eyes with fresh water.

→ Be careful not to rub your eyes, as baking soda can be gritty.

Part 2 - Applying a Compress

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→ Use a cool compress. A cool compress will help to bring down any swelling and reduce irritation. Just wet a washcloth with cool water and drape it over your closed eyelids for a few minutes. The sting will naturally start to lessen. If the washcloth gets warm before your eyes feel better, wet it again with cool water and repeat.

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→ Apply wet teabags. Tea has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce swelling and irritation. Soak two teabags with cool water, lie back and close your eyes, and place the teabags over your eyelids. Keep the bags there until they come to room temperature. If your eyes still feel sore, wet them in cold water again and repeat.

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→ Try cucumber slices. Refrigerate a cucumber, then cut off two thick slices. Lie down and close your eyes, then place the slices over your eyelids. The cool cucumber will soothe your eye irritation and help restore moisture to your irritated skin.

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→ Use grated potato. Potato is astringent, which means it can help sooth irritation and bring down inflammation. Grate a white potato and apply it to your closed eyes. Let the potato sit on your eyes for about five minutes, then rinse it away with cool water.

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→ Make an aloe compress. Aloe is used to treat all kinds of inflammation, and it makes a soothing compress for the eyes. Mix a teaspoon of aloe vera gel and a teaspoon of cold water. Saturate two cotton balls with the mixture. Lie down and close your eyes, then place the cotton balls over your eyes. After five or ten minutes, remove the cotton balls and rinse your eyes.

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→ Use a gel eye mask. Gel eye masks are soothing on the eyes and can even help with headaches as well. You’ll store them in the refrigerator for a cool source of relief whenever you need it. You can buy a gel eye mask online or in a drug store.

Part 3 - Preventing Irritation

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→ Wear goggles when you swim. This is the best preventative method you can take when it comes to irritation caused by chloramines or ocean water. If you never let the water hit your eyes, you won't experience redness and sore eyes every time you swim. Using goggles allows you to swim to your heart's content and open your eyes underwater without dealing with pain later.

→ Make sure you use goggles that fit well. They should fit snugly around your eyes so that water doesn't seep in while you're swimming.

→ If you can't stand goggles, try to keep your eyes closed as much as possible while you're underwater.

→ If you have children, encourage them to wear goggles as well to keep their eyes healthy.

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→ Avoid swimming in pools that aren't "healthy". Have you ever been to a pool with a strong chemical smell? Many people mistakenly think that's the smell of chlorine, but chlorine doesn't have a smell. That strong ammonia smell is actually the smell of chloramines, which form when chlorine binds with sweat, sunscreen, urine, saliva, and other substances swimmers bring into the water. A pool with a strong smell is one that hasn't been properly treated with chlorine and other chemicals to remove all of the chloramines. Look for these signs that a pool isn't very clean:

→ The pool has a strong chemical smell (or any other type of smell)

→ The water looks cloudy instead of clear

→ You don't hear any cleaning equipment, such as pumps and filters, operating in the pool

→ The pool feels slippery or sticky instead of clean

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→ Be careful swimming in lakes and rivers, too. Lakes and rivers don't require chemical treatment to make them safe for swimming. They should have natural ways of keeping harmful bacteria at bay. However some lakes and rivers are part of ecosystems that have been disrupted, and they may contain bacteria that irritates your eyes.

→ Only swim in natural bodies of water that have been deemed safe for swimming; avoid areas that have a "no swimming" policy.

→ Avoid swimming in lakes or rivers that are contaminated with pollution.

→ Avoid swimming in lakes or ponds that seem stagnant. Don't swim in water that's full of algae or green in color.

→ Avoid swimming in lakes that have lots of algae. They could contain Cyanobacteria, which can be toxic or cause eye, skin, or ear irritation. If swallowed, cyanobacteria can cause stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and more.

→ Avoid swimming in lakes near pastures or farmland, which could be contaminated by E. coli.

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→ Take general steps to stay healthy when you swim. To stay healthy during and after swimming, avoid opening your eyes or mouth while you’re underwater. Take a shower when you’re done, and if you scraped or injured yourself while swimming, treat the cut or wound right away. Although chances of contracting serious illness from most swimming areas are low, the risks still exist and are worth being wary of.

→ See your doctor if you have any signs of infection, such as spots that feel soft, red, swollen, or warm, which could be a sign of staph infection.

TIPS

→ Dampen your eyes with a clean, wet towel.

→ If you are a parent with a child that is too short to bend into the sink, try wetting a paper towel or washcloth with warm water from the sink. Have your child place this over their eye for a few minutes. Then, switch the eye it is over.

→ Try wearing goggles next time to avoid this problem.

→ Wash them with cool water and put a damp washcloth over your eyes for 10 minutes. They'll feel cool and refreshed.

→ When your eyes swell up, use lukewarm water with cotton balls or pads and massage around your eyes. Rinse your eyes as well.

Warnings

→ Remove contact lenses and eyewear before attempting these procedures. Remember to remove contact lenses before swimming as well.