Snow blindness is a temporary condition that is caused by the excessive glare of the sun’s rays bouncing off the snow. These harmful ultraviolet rays can cause temporary blindness on some people. Snow is highly reflective that even in overcast and cloudy days, glare can be present. The thing with this is that symptoms can occur as much as 8 hours after exposure.

The symptoms of snow blindness include hazy depth perception like having difficulty seeing the irregularities on the ground’s surface. Then it begins to hurt and become oversensitive to light.

As always, protection from exposure is always the best answer. Wear sunglasses that provide UV protection (for a guide to purchasing sunglasses, read our How to Choose a Pair of Shades/Sunglasses post) and protect yourself from the glare (you may consult our How to Protect Yourself from the Sun post. Believe it or not, your cheeks and your nose can reflect UV to your eyes.

If you’ll be prolonging your exposure to the sun, be sure to lather up with sunscreen with high SPF, wear proper winter clothing that provide the best coverage, wear goggles with UV protection. A ski mask would do great to help cover your face from the glare.

If ever you experience snow blindness, try to rest your eyes and avoid light for a whole day. Stay in a darkened room or wear comfortable eye patches or blindfolds until the pain goes away. If the pain persists, seek medical attention.