When Sweat Stings

Do your eyes sting when drops of sweat travel down your forehead and into your eyes? Ouch!
You may have noticed that sometimes your eyes feel irritated, and other times, they feel fine. Whether you start to your eyes sting while you’re getting a workout in or just hanging out under the last few days of warm sun, you are not alone, and there are a few reasons why.
While there is no evidence that your sweat can do any harm to your eyes, it would still be nice to avoid the prickly feeling. What it basically comes down to is how you have prepared for your day. Here are a couple of things to consider:
Hydration
What sweat consists of on its own is water, salt, proteins, ammonia, and other minerals. It is the salty matter that can cause your eyes to become irritated and burn. Luckily, there is a simple way to make sure the salt load is low.
You guessed it. Drink water.
And if not water, a sports drink can also help hydrate you before becoming active or heading out into the sun.
Hair & Skin Care
The sweat that gets into your eyes often makes a couple stops on the way: your scalp, hair, and forehead.
On these pit stops, the sweat picks up some hitchhiker germs and grime like the pomade you added to style your hair or the face cream and sunscreen you massaged into your skin.
Although these products are necessary [#selfcare], they are often formulated with ingredients that your eyes do not particularly care for.
Consider lightening up on the products you apply or pick something a bit more delicate on days when you know you’ll be on the sweatier side.
Block it or Battle it
Some more easy ways to avoid the sting of sweat include using a sweat headband to absorb sweat before it reaches your face, look into a good brand of eyedrops to help relieve any pain, or just close your eyes and splash your face with cool water for a quick fix.
If stinging, burning eyes remain a consistent issue, contact Columbus Eyeworks to set up an informative appointment today!