- May 23, 2015
- 25,718
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Who mentioned eye-drops and putting chemicals in your eyes?? Not me. That’s not what I was talking about. But let me be more specific about what I am saying.
Your eyes have a tri-layered fluid covering them at all times. The first layer that sits on the surface of the cornea is the mucous layer. It comes from the cells in the conjunctiva and it is a hydrophobic layer of mucins that allows the second layer to spread out evenly and protects the delicate cornea. The second layer is the aqueous layer that comes from the lacrimal glands and it is a complex soup of water, salts & electrolytes, pH buffers (citric acid/citrate and other acid-salts), proteins, enzymes and antibodies. The aqueous layer is responsible not only for osmotic regluation (pressure changes caused by salinity changes) but also pH regulation and infectious disease control. The third and final layer (between the air and the aqueous layer) is a hydrophobic lipid layer composed of oils that forms a coating over the aqueous layer, lubriucates the eye and keeps the eye from losing water. So, you can think of the tear layer as something like a soap bubble where a thin water layer is maintained between two hydrophobic layers.
When you rub your eyes, you mechanically remove this trilayer film and and expose your cornea to pool water. You also inadvertently push water into your lacrimal glands and conjunctiva where the chlorine will irritate the sensitive tissue there. Simply coming up out of the water and shaking your head (like dogs do) while blinking will easily push away the pool water from your eyes. The outer lipid layer is what allows you to open your eyes under water as the oil film will repel the pool water. The aqueous layer has buffers in it that will keep the pH from changing. If one plans on being in a pool for several hours, then it is advisable to get a good pair of swimmer’s goggles to help protect your eyes. If you plan to jump in and jump out, then simply shaking your head and blinking will do.
But yes, if you decide to use muriatic acid as eye drops, then you’ll very likely go blind as the aqueous layer will have a hard time dealing with the low pH....
Your eyes have a tri-layered fluid covering them at all times. The first layer that sits on the surface of the cornea is the mucous layer. It comes from the cells in the conjunctiva and it is a hydrophobic layer of mucins that allows the second layer to spread out evenly and protects the delicate cornea. The second layer is the aqueous layer that comes from the lacrimal glands and it is a complex soup of water, salts & electrolytes, pH buffers (citric acid/citrate and other acid-salts), proteins, enzymes and antibodies. The aqueous layer is responsible not only for osmotic regluation (pressure changes caused by salinity changes) but also pH regulation and infectious disease control. The third and final layer (between the air and the aqueous layer) is a hydrophobic lipid layer composed of oils that forms a coating over the aqueous layer, lubriucates the eye and keeps the eye from losing water. So, you can think of the tear layer as something like a soap bubble where a thin water layer is maintained between two hydrophobic layers.
When you rub your eyes, you mechanically remove this trilayer film and and expose your cornea to pool water. You also inadvertently push water into your lacrimal glands and conjunctiva where the chlorine will irritate the sensitive tissue there. Simply coming up out of the water and shaking your head (like dogs do) while blinking will easily push away the pool water from your eyes. The outer lipid layer is what allows you to open your eyes under water as the oil film will repel the pool water. The aqueous layer has buffers in it that will keep the pH from changing. If one plans on being in a pool for several hours, then it is advisable to get a good pair of swimmer’s goggles to help protect your eyes. If you plan to jump in and jump out, then simply shaking your head and blinking will do.
But yes, if you decide to use muriatic acid as eye drops, then you’ll very likely go blind as the aqueous layer will have a hard time dealing with the low pH....