10 Tips: Winter sunglasses are more than fun glasses for children

January 2, 2009

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Sun
Tags: snow, Sun, sun bllindness, sunglasses, ultraviolet, winter

You need not be lost in the Arctic or drive a dog team in the Iditarod to be concerned about snow blindness. It can happen in a matter of hours to infants being carried in backpacks through snow country, to toddlers frolicking in the snow, and to teenagers out for a morning of skiing or snowboarding. The cause: no sunglasses or the wrong ones.

Here is what you have to know to prevent snow blindness:

1. Be aware that it exists. “Snow blindness” is not exactly a household term – precisely the reason that it occurs. Virtually all cases of snow blindness are preventable but most parents and many doctors are not familiar with this condition.

2. Understand the cause. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation burns the cornea and the conjunctiva, the tissue lining the surface of the eyes. The process is quite similar to sunburns of the skin. Sun damage is cumulative for life, placing children (with more years of sun exposure ahead of them than adults) at greater risk.

3. A day in snow country can be riskier to eyes than a summer day at the beach. Snow is a far better reflector of ultraviolet rays than water or sand, reflecting up to 85% of rays. Reflected rays are additive to the ones reaching the eyes directly.

4. Outdoor winter activities increase the risk. Many winter activities take place in snow-covered hilly terrain, allowing even more reflected rays to hit children’s eyes, and from additional angles. Altitude further increases radiation; the higher the elevation, the less atmosphere to filter out harmful rays. And cold weather, light clouds, and a sun low on the horizon offer little or no protection. Also, modern winter clothing allows children to spend more time outdoors thereby increasing the amount of exposure.

5. Know when to get out of the sun. An early warning sign of snow blindness is a sensation of enhanced brightness. Later symptoms include irritation, dryness, difficulty blinking, redness, and tearing of the eyes. These symptoms are often ignored because they are attributed erroneously to the wind or cold. Pain, sometimes severe, comes later. But often, as with sunburns of the skin, early signs are absent, and symptoms begin 8 to 12 hours following exposure.

6. In snow country, consider snow blindness when infants become inexplicably cranky. (Frostbite, being cold, and too-tight clothing are other possible causes.) Take your infant inside until you figure out the cause. Ideally, infants should wear sunglasses or limit their time in the sun. (Good luck in trying to keep glasses on them.)

7. Don’t rely on “any old” sunglasses. Most summer sunglasses allow too much light through for protection in snow. Choose winter sunglasses that block out at least 95% of ultraviolet radiation; some experts recommend 98% and above.  The glasses should fit snugly, cover the entire area between the eyebrows and middle of the cheeks, and wrap around toward the ears.

8. Place a loosely woven scarf, sweater or ski hat over children’s eyes if shelter is unavailable. If none is available, cover one eye at a time with an opaque object. (People in the Arctic cover their eyes with a strip of birch bark that has two narrow slits in the bark for vision.)

9. Snow blindness heals spontaneously over a few days. However, such healing does not prevent long-term damage. The best treatments for pain include cold compresses, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, a dark environment, and cortisone-containing eye drops. These drops are available only by prescription and should be used under medical supervision.

10. Protect the eyelids from the sun. The skin of the lids is thin and sensitive, and burns easily, especially in children. (This happens in the summer, too. Sunburn is frequently overlooked as a cause of eyelid problems.) Sunglasses with large lenses help protect the lids from the sun, and also from flying ice particles and dirt, as well as from branches, when skiing and snowmobiling.

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Sun
Tags: snow, Sun, sun bllindness, sunglasses, ultraviolet, winter