Asheville boasts a relatively mild climate year-round. But that doesn’t mean it won’t see its fair share of snow during the winter months. The city averages about a foot of snow every year, and the mountains around, even more, making it a haven for outdoor adventurers looking to have fun hiking in a winter wonderland or hitting the slopes.
Sometimes we can become so focused on the havoc that spring and pollen can cause on our eyes that we can easily forget the issues which the winter season brings. However, winter can bring about a lot of changes that may have an impact on your eyes. Chief among them is increased light and UV exposure during winter weather.
What Is Snow Blindness?
It may seem surprising, but snow, ice, and even winter cloud cover can actually cause excessive brightness, which can be difficult for your eyes due to light sensitivity. When left unprotected, this excess light radiation can cause temporary and permanent damage from the overexposure of UV light to our eyes.
This risk is increased, especially on bright days when there is also a lot of snow. Snow cover easily reflects the light into our eyes, up to 80% of UV rays, and those rays come from all angles. This reflection is essentially doubling the amount of radiation entering your eye at any time leading to both thermal and photochemical damage that is essentially “sunburn” on our eyes.
This sunburn effect on the eye, medically called photokeratitis, is also commonly referred to as snow blindness.
Snow Blindness Symptoms
Snow blindness occurs when UV light enters the cornea of the eye, inflaming the epithelium. When agitated, this sensitive outer layer becomes irritated and inflamed, resulting in an array of symptoms. These may not manifest immediately but only appear a few hours after your eyes have been damaged.
Snow blindness symptoms typically include a combination of the following:
- Photophobia or light sensitivity
- Painful burning sensation in the eyes
- Visible redness in the eyes
- Excessing tearing or watering
- Blurred vision
- Swollen eyes or eyelids
- Headaches
- Glare or halo effects around light sources
The longer or more extreme the exposure, the more severe any of these symptoms will be. Sports like mountain climbing, snowboarding, and skiing are often done at higher altitudes, like the mountains surrounding Asheville, where UV rays are inherently stronger.
High altitude doubles your risk, no matter if you are engaged in an outdoor sport or not. Just driving around at high altitudes may cause problems.
In extreme cases, snow blindness does cause vision changes such as color shifts or complete blindness.
Preventing Snow Blindness
Like most medical issues, prevention is always going to be a better option than treatment. Reducing your chance of snow blindness is as simple as keeping your eyes protected with lenses, sunglasses for non-sporting activities, and winter goggles for sports.
When selecting a pair of glasses or goggles to wear, keep the following aspects in mind, as you’ll want something that covers each point.
- Opt for UV protection of 99-100% to block radiation
- Select polarized lenses to reduce light from reflective surfaces
- Have wrap-around sides for maximum protections
Once you have a good pair, keep them with you and on whenever you are outdoors. Damage from excessive light and UV radiation can happen within as little as half an hour of being exposed.
Snow isn’t the only surface type that has a similar reflection and scattering effect on light and UV rays. Photokeratitis (sunburn on the eyes) can happen quickly in the presence of ice, water, and sand.
So while you may most often hear it termed snow blindness, it is a condition that can occur year-round. For this reason, remembering to wear protective sunglasses regularly is essential.
How to Treat Snow Blindness
Most cases of snow blindness are not permanent, and a lot of rest and staying indoors clears up within 1-2 days. You can try the following to help lessen your symptoms, but if they worsen within the first 24 hours since onset, seek medical attention immediately.
- OTC painkillers may be used to reduce pain or feelings of discomfort
- Avoid going outside or having bright lights on indoors
- While indoors, wear sunglasses in rooms with lots of natural light
- Make sure your eyes stay moist with gentle eye drops or use a dampened cold compress periodically over your eyes
- Refrain from wearing contact lenses
- Do your best to avoid rubbing your eyes
However, it is recommended that if you experience snow blindness symptoms, you schedule an appointment with an optometrist. Even if your symptoms clear within a few days, only a professional can make sure no permanent damage has occurred.
In very rare cases, snow blindness can become solar retinopathy which can result in permanent vision loss.
Winter Eye Care Tailored for You
The team here at Asheville Vision and Wellness is happy to help you figure out a more detailed solution for the healing and protection of your eyes. If you have selected a pair of sunglasses and want to really know if they provide the correct amount of protection for your eyes, think about taking them into your annual eye exam. Your optometrist can test the lenses to verify UV protection levels and polarization.
Do not hesitate to contact Asheville Vision and Wellness for help with your eye issues or for further questions regarding winter eye protection. We have over thirty years of experience helping patients protect their eyes and improve eye health. We provide comprehensive eye care from annual exams, management of chronic conditions, glasses, contact lenses, and prescription sunglasses.
Our staff is always happy to assist you with any of your eye care needs. Come see what sets us apart and put yourself on a path to healthier eyes. You can conveniently schedule an appointment online or call on weekdays during our office hours.
