Snow blindness

The medical term for snow blindness is photokeratitis, meaning inflammation of the cornea. You don’t have to be near snow to develop snow blindness, but people who, for example, ski or snowboard, spend a lot of time at high altitudes, where UV rays are stronger, and who are surrounded by snow, which is a highly reflective surface, are at increased risk of photokeratitis if they don’t use the right sun protection. Water and white sand can also have the same effect.

Snow blindness, or photokeratitis, occurs when the cornea of the eye is sunburnt. Although painful, it is temporary and can be avoided.

Similar to sunburn, you may only notice the symptoms of snow blindness after a few hours in the sun. The symptoms can be disturbing, but they should go away on their own after 24 to 48 hours, after which your eyes will return to normal. The most common signs of snow blindness are:

• Eye pain;
• Tearful eyes;
• Burning sensation;
• It feels as if your eyes are filled with sand or gravel;
• Red eyes;
• Light sensitivity (photophobia);
• Blurred vision;
• Swollen eyes or eyelids;
• Halos around light sources;
• Temporary impairment of colour vision;
• Headache.

If you are worried about your symptoms, you should see an eye specialist who will check your eyes to see if there are any other possible signs of eye problems.

Light enters our eyes through the cornea, which is the outermost transparent layer of the eye. Photokeratitis occurs when the sensitive superficial layer of the cornea is as if it has been burnt by excessive exposure to UV light. Harmful UV light can come from sunlight or artificial light sources emitted from places such as: tanning beds, sunlamps, lasers and welding equipment.

People who spend a lot of time outdoors are more likely to develop photokeratitis, especially if they don’t wear appropriate eye protection.

Eye care specialists, ophthalmologists, are best placed to make a diagnosis and rule out other possible problems that may have caused the condition. Photokeratitis is detected by a thorough eye examination, which may include the use of special eye drops to help examine the surface irregularities of the cornea in detail. Usually, the mere fact that too much UV radiation has been received from the sun or artificial light sources is enough.

See an eye care professional if symptoms worsen or persist for a couple of days. Your symptoms may indicate another eye disorder.