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

[edt]

Dude it's not the sun, it's something in the water. Sunglasses don't help. I really do suspect E Coli but doubt we will find out for sure.

[TomW]

I still think it's the sunscreen. Hotwater plus hot air plus body sweat, Shit gets in your eyes. Gonna sting even underwater.

E-coli would give you other symptoms too. Any of those?

[tautologies]

Well having lived in a sunny area for a while and having seen a variety of people including myself getting sunburnt eyes...I'm not making shit up. For me, the suncream is not the problem because I do not get red eyes when wearing proper sunglasses. I do not think it is the water, because going out in the same water with sunglasses does not make my eyes red. Sure it is possible that something in the sunscreen or water is it, but for me and quite a few of my friends its the sun.

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.

[iriejohn]

Might be something to do with the higher the water temperature the higher the salt content can be.

[POACHER]

Hmmmm.....

Not sure what it could be Smokey McPot.




(let's go with the water reasons)

[Mossy 757]

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.

[Flyboy]

It does not have to be E coli or some other nasty bacteria that is causing the problem, it could simply be some naturally occurring matter - like pollen - that you are allergic to. I guess it's possible that higher levels of salinity combined with warmer water could also cause the reaction.

[edt]

lot of theories lol so little science. You know I re-read the original post and I think you guys might be on to something for him I think it might just be UV radiation. The itchiness is key because when you get sunblind one symptom is your eyes get itchy. When I get this redness I get it in both salt and fresh water, and I never get it hydrofoiling (I rarely crash foiling) but always get it when I try wakestyle tricks (crashing about 100 times a session). So for me 100% it's something in the water. In the winter, the E coli levels drop to near zero and I don't get it anymore, but who the hell knows right? The original poster is using goggles so I have to assume for him the water is not getting into his eye but for me that's definitely the cause. I bet there's more than one simple cause here, but we aren't going to get anywhere sitting around playing the guessing game. We need science and controlled experiments.

[junebug]

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.

[Flyboy]

lot of theories lol so little science. You know I re-read the original post and I think you guys might be on to something for him I think it might just be UV radiation. The itchiness is key because when you get sunblind one symptom is your eyes get itchy. When I get this redness I get it in both salt and fresh water, and I never get it hydrofoiling (I rarely crash foiling) but always get it when I try wakestyle tricks (crashing about 100 times a session). So for me 100% it's something in the water. In the winter, the E coli levels drop to near zero and I don't get it anymore, but who the hell knows right? The original poster is using goggles so I have to assume for him the water is not getting into his eye but for me that's definitely the cause. I bet there's more than one simple cause here, but we aren't going to get anywhere sitting around playing the guessing game. We need science and controlled experiments.

If it's an allergic reaction protecting the eyes with goggles/glasses wouldn't necessarily make the difference - water is still going to be going up the nose. I have an allergic reaction at times when kiting in the Great Lakes. It's not itchy eyes, but symptoms that arise some hours after kiting: severe congestion. I'm pretty sure it is a reaction (developed from decades of exposure) to something in the water. I would guess it's some kind of pollen. It doesn't happen in the fall, I'm assuming because the irritant is no longer floating around in the water. I don't experience it in the ocean either. But what's affecting the OP could be something different...