Photo by: freshNfunky
As we move into the winter, I thought we might take a look at some of the risks the season poses to our eye health, and the steps we can take to ensure we don’t risk our eyesight when we enjoy the outdoors during the cold-weather months.
This month, let’s take a look at an all-too-common condition we ophthalmologists see this time of year: niphablepsia.
What? You’ve never heard of it? Well, perhaps you know it by its more common designation: “snow blindness.”
Snow blindness is described almost perfectly by those two words: It is a condition caused by the glare of bright sunshine on snow or ice. It can occur when our eyes are subjected to ultraviolet (UV) rays without high-quality sunglasses or other forms of protection. The light reflects into the eyes, burning the cornea and conjunctiva, much like sunburn. Extreme cases can indeed cause blindness.
At the very least, snow blindness can put a significant crimp in winter outdoor fun. On wintertrekking.com an avid winter outdoorsman recounts his experience with the condition:
“I have had too much unprotected exposure to UV over the years, and I now suffer intense snow blindness symptoms with an onset in a matter of seconds if the sun comes out and I am out traversing open lakes covered in snow. The symptoms include extreme pain, the inability to keep eyes open, and profuse tearing, which blurs vision.”
The key to preventing snow blindness is simple: always protect your eyes from UV rays when you are outside during the winter months. Sunglasses, “glacier glasses” (which have side shields) and ski goggles all can work—they should transmit five to ten percent of visible light and absorb almost all UV rays. And, in a pinch, you could always carve snow goggles from caribou antlers, like the Inuit people were known to do. (Okay, maybe you and I couldn’t do that, but the Inuit people really did.)
Fortunately, the pain associated with snow blindness can be treated and the symptoms are usually temporary. Topical anesthetics and cold, wet compresses will help do that. Also, to avoid further injury you’ll want to move to a dark location. If you are wearing contact lenses, remove them, and avoid rubbing your eyes. Of course, an ophthalmologist should check out your eyes if the symptoms persist. After treating the condition, he or she will probably advise you to wear sunglasses until the symptoms disappear completely.
Be careful out there and enjoy the winter!
