With so many of us heading to the snow this winter, it's important to remember that we need to protect ourselves from the sun’s UV rays while we are skiing the slopes!

 

The sun’s UV rays are stronger at high altitudes where the atmosphere is thinner, making it extremely important to protect your eyes.

 

Snow blindness is a temporary loss of vision due to sunburn of the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye) and occurs when overexposed to the UV rays being reflected off the surface of the snow. (Snow can reflect more than 80% of the UV rays that fall onto it).

 

Symptoms of snow blindness include: red eyes, burning sensation, eye pain, gritty feeling (like you have sand in your eyes), sensitivity, watery eyes, blurry vision, headaches, swollen eyes/eyelids. These symptoms may not occur until several hours after the sun exposure. 

 

Treatment: Sit in a dark room with eyes covered until symptoms subside; remove contact lenses; do not rub eyes; cold/wet compress over the eyelids; use preservative free eye drops to lubricate eyes; over the counter pain relief; see a doctor immediately if symptoms persist or worsen after 24 hours.

 

Luckily this condition is totally avoidable by wearing sunglasses/ski goggles that block 100% sun’s UV rays. Look for wrap around styles that protect sun from getting in through the sides and top. Polarised lenses are also your best option as these reduce the glare that reaches the eyes.

 

Pyewear polarised sunglasses for kids are an excellent choice for the kids this snow season. 100% UVA UVB

 

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