Sunblock and Burning Eyes

[regina]

I read cetaphil is coming out with a sunblock

cetaphil is probably the gentlest soap out there...so I am excited to try their sunscreen...has anyone tried it yet?

[painless]

I have not tried the Cetaphil sunscreen, though I do use their liquid cleanser for my face (and have for over 20 years!).

However, since we're on the topic of sunscreen, I want to mention one that has been working for me -- Vanicream SPF 60. I have tried many, many sunscreens (ones for sensitive skin, natural ingredients, etc etc), but ALL of them make my eyes burn and get really red. I do not apply the sunscreen near by eyes, but just having it on my face causes that reaction in my eyes.

(This was never an issue in my pre-dry eye life; and actually was not an issue even after I got dry eye up until several months ago. It's been really a problem because I need to wear sunscreen on my face daily.)

Anyway, Vanicream SPF 60 is the only one that does not irritate my eyes. Well, it may irritate them a little bit, but nowhere near the ballpark of the other ones I've tried. Unfortunately, it has a very sticky texture, which takes a long time to dissipate after you apply it. That's a really annoying downside to it, but I'm still glad to have it since I do need it!

[Pinky]

I do not apply the sunscreen near by eyes, but just having it on my face causes that reaction in my eyes.

This is exactly what happened to me. I couldn't figure out what was going on since I didn't get the sunscreen anywhere near my eyes. All day long my eyes stung. I still haven't been able to find a sunsreen that works for me and now wear a facevisor to protect my face. It's the only thing that doesn't cause a reaction and there's enough room under it to wear my prescription sunglasses.

[Judy]

I have the same problem with sunscreens, etc. and need to wear sunscreen on my face to walk out the door everyday. A friend of mine introduced me to Obagi Nu-Derm skin treatment and I still use the sunscreen that is part of this system. It is OBAGI NU-DERM Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35 and there is a #6 on the tube. I automatically use this every morning along with my moisturizer and it works great. I guess if you were to be out in the sun all day you might want to add something over this, but I just reapply this lotion because it works for me and my eyes...

[pbeinetti]

I just got back from a month in FL. I used sunscreen daily, and in the 3rd week I broke out in a terrible rash, and hives. I went to a doctor and he diagnosed it as a reaction to the sunscreen. Here's the most interesting part. He said reactions to sunscreen are the biggest problems his patients have. Holy cow! What's the matter with these companies. I had an injection of an anti inflammatory, and was on prednisone pills for 2 weeks. I'm better, but not healed. My eyes were TERRIBLE. Word to the wise. Don't use any sunscreens with chemical UV blockers. What Lucy described was what I used -- all NASTY chemicals. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide should be the ONLY active ingredients

[Guest]

Because of the IPL I've been getting on my face, I've been wearing an spf 30 sunscreen every day... sure enough, just like all of you, my eyes would be more red and sting whenever I would wear it.

I had always been careful to keep the stuff away from my eyes, but it stung anyways...

BUT, I seem to have fixed the problem by wiping away any excess sunscreen from my cheekbones, temples, and just above my eyebrows... not that there were gobs of sunscreen there or anything... but I guess just that little tiny bit extra was enough to migrate into my eyes...

Now that I wipe away this extra bit with a tissue, my eyes no longer sting when wearing sunscreen.l