Surf eye. How Common?

[davedej]

Surf eye. Yes. Not surf EAR but surf EYE. "Pterygium".

After talking to doctors, (kitesurf)patients, sunglasses and contact lens experts and previous posts on FB / Reddit etc. We try to establish if we have been ignoring this threat too much as a community.

Although some doctor state " ...90% of the pro surfers suffer from it...".
A more realistic number popped up from Hawaii;
" ..a medical provider in Hawaii and see it regularly among anyone with a lot of sun exposure - surfers, sailors, construction workers, etc. and also see it regularly amongst my kite friends. In my job I examine about 10 people's eyes a day, and see it in roughly 3 percent of the general population but probably 10-20 percent of those who have other evidence of sun damage - tan skin, freckles, heavy wrinkles, etc."

Our question to you is: how common really is this among kite surfers? Any other experts that can contribute?

Dave
We Test Kites

[jakemoore]

I’m doing two pterugium surgeries today. Wear sunglasses.

[tautologies]

It seems a bit random who gets it in Hawaii. But yeah surfers, SUPers, kiters...some worse than others.

Good luck with your surgery JakeM.

[tkaraszewski]

That's me in the photo, I sent it to Dave on Facebook. Not sure I have any other info to offer right now, but I'm interested to see the discussion.

[jakemoore]

Is that a post op photo?

[ralu81]

Whats the purpose of the Surgery? to remove it for cosmetic reasons? I have it and brought it up to the eye doctor a few years ago and he said it was sun exposure and be sure to wear sunglasses (Which I do), but wasn't overly concerned with it. Does it become painful or hinder your eye site eventually?

[jakemoore]

If it blocks the pupil when it comes off it will leave a scar that continues to block the vision. Generally if they are small we recommend conservative management because they can recur. But we monitor and if it is growing toward the center we like to remove them before they affect the sight.

[tkaraszewski]

Is that a post op photo?

No, I have not had surgery, that's just how it is so far.

[OzBungy]

I have had surgery for surfer's ear. At my last eye test I asked about UV damage and there is none. This is after about 60 years in the water in the Australian sun.

Normally I wear Lips sunglasses and they are very good, especially on bright sunny days. Nothing works very well on dull cloudy days. It's possible to pull the sunglasses down around my neck if things get a bit gloomy, but it's a pain to deal with the arms and ears and hat straps and everything.

Recently I dug out a pair of goggles I bought years ago from Spex USA. https://spexusa.com/product/spex-amphib ... ear-black/

I am liking them a lot. The advantage is the elastic strap instead of arms over the ears. It is very easy to push them down or pull them up while riding.

[sewerrat]

I got it. Surfers ear too. Pre-cancers on the face. Wear a hood most of the time surfing (water is 48-55 deg.) Wear a hat with a brim when warmer... just seems inevitable. I'd like to know if anybody has religiously worn Specs or similar and after 20 or more years, doesn't have any eye growths!? I still think staring at the friggin computer screen all day is the worst thing my eyes are subject to.