Skipping sunglasses this summer? Doctor warns that your eyes can get sunburnt, too

Skipping sunglasses in summer can do more than make you squint. Doctor warns that UV exposure can cause eye sunburn, dryness and long-term damage.

A good pair of UV400 sunglasses protects your eyes from harsh summer sunlight, reducing dryness, irritation and the risk of long-term damage. (Canva.com)

By Neha Ravi Khandelwal

Neha Khandelwal
Content Lead, HT Travel | Travel & Lifestyle Journalist
With over 10 years of content writing experience, Neha Khandelwal is a lifestyle journalist and the Content Lead at HT Travel. She specialises in destinations, hotels, aviation, luggage, travel gear, and practical guides that help readers plan smarter and travel better. Her work combines first-hand experience, expert insights, and extensive research to create stories that are informative, useful, and easy to follow.

Career Journey & Experience
Neha began her writing career as a freelance journalist in 2010 before entering mainstream media with The Times of India in 2022. She later joined Hindustan Times, where she has written extensively across travel, lifestyle, home, and consumer trends. Her professional background extends beyond journalism. Before moving into digital media full-time, she spent nearly a decade in interior design, managing residential projects from concept to execution. She also trained in visual merchandising with Shoppers Stop and Pantaloons and worked with women-led startups across design and operations. These experiences continue to shape her storytelling, especially in how she evaluates hotels, design-led stays, hospitality spaces, and travel experiences.

A naturally curious learner, Neha has completed beginner certifications in pottery, scuba diving, baking, creative writing, and other creative pursuits. She has read more than 2,000 books, trained in Bharatanatyam for 8 years, and ghostwritten a book on Ladakh tourism.

Subject Expertise
Travel is at the heart of Neha's work. She covers destinations, hotels, airlines, luggage, packing strategies, travel accessories, and emerging travel trends through a mix of reporting, product testing, and conversations with industry experts. A frequent traveller herself, she approaches every trip with a journalist's curiosity and a planner's mindset, focusing on experiences that readers can realistically recreate. From choosing the right cabin bag to decoding hotel openings and destination trends, her writing prioritises practical advice over promotional claims. Her background in interior design also gives her a distinct perspective on architecture, hospitality design, boutique hotels, luxury stays, and thoughtfully designed spaces.

Education & Professional Background
Neha holds a Master's degree in Interior Design. Her early experience in interior design, visual merchandising, and design operations gives her a unique understanding of aesthetics, functionality, and user experience, adding depth to her coverage of hotels, resorts, and travel spaces.

Editorial Philosophy
"As an avid, research-driven traveller, my goal is simple. To answer the questions you actually have before booking a trip. I cut through the promotional noise with honest reporting and expert insights. Making travel planning seamless, smart, and reliable so you always know where to go next."

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Most of us are religious about sunscreen. SPF on the face, SPF on the neck, SPF on that one stubborn shoulder that always burns. But the eyes? They are usually left to fend for themselves.

Bad idea.

Your eyes are just as sensitive to the sun as your skin. And unlike a forgotten patch of sunburn on your back, eye damage is far less obvious until it starts causing real trouble.

Yes, your eyes can get sunburnt too!

It sounds dramatic, but it is true. According to Dr Komal Sawarkar, Cataract and Oculoplasty Surgeon at NIO Super Speciality Hospital, “Too much ultraviolet exposure can lead to photokeratitis, which is essentially a sunburn of the cornea. Think redness, pain, watering, and a sharp dislike for bright light.”

And that is just the short-term annoyance. Years of skipping proper eye protection can raise the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and pterygium, a fleshy growth that creeps over the white part of the eye and can eventually affect vision.

In short, your eyes keep a score with the damage that follows.

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Why summer season require extra vigilance on our end

Summer throws everything at your eyes in full capacity. The heat dries out your natural tear film. Dust and pollen trigger irritation. Strong sunlight creates oxidative stress that speeds up age-related changes. The result is a familiar list of complaints.

Your eyes feel scratchy, as if someone sprinkled sand under your eyelids. They turn red for no obvious reason. Vision goes a bit blurry. Bright light suddenly feels offensive. And ironically, dry eyes may water more than usual. If your eyes are doing any of the above, they are asking for backup.

Dark lenses mean nothing without UV protection

This is where many people get fooled. A pair of sunglasses with very dark lenses may look convincing, but if they do not block ultraviolet rays, they can do more harm than good. Dark lenses make your pupils widen, which allows even more UV radiation to enter.

The label matters more than the tint. Look for UV400 protection, which blocks almost all UVA and UVB rays. Bigger frames are better because they cover more area. Wrap-around styles are particularly useful because sunlight has a sneaky habit of entering from the sides.

Fashion is great. Function is non-negotiable.

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The golden hours where you need to be extra careful

The sun is at its harshest between 10 am and 4 pm. That does not mean you need to hide indoors like a vampire, but it does mean your eyes need proper protection during this stretch.

Dr Sawarkar also points out that “Hydration plays a major role in keeping the tear film stable. Lubricating eye drops can help if your eyes feel dry, and basic hygiene matters too. Rubbing your eyes with dusty hands is an easy way to invite irritation and infection.”

A few small habits that make a big difference

• A wide-brimmed hat adds an extra layer of shade.
• Lubricating drops are useful on windy days and long drives.
• If you work outdoors, protective eyewear is worth every rupee.
• And yes, drinking enough water helps your eyes as much as it helps your skin.

Sunglasses are not a fashion extra. They are as essential as sunscreen and considerably more stylish than red, itchy eyes. So before stepping out into the summer sun, grab a pair with proper UV protection. Your future self and your eyes will thank you.

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