Will playing in the snow make you blind? Be careful of "snow blindness" when the new snow season begins!

There is not only orthopedics at the end of the ski trail, but also ophthalmology!

Key equipment: the role of goggles

Do you understand?

Newbies to the ski resort are coming!

Can you still have sharp eyes after skiing?

Does snow blindness really cause blindness?

What is snow blindness?

Snow blindness , also known as photoelectric eye inflammation and ultraviolet eye inflammation , is an inflammation caused by ultraviolet rays damaging the cornea and conjunctival epithelium. This is mainly because snow refracts light and can increase the amount of ultraviolet reflection by 5% to 6%. Large areas of snow in the snow field environment reflect ultraviolet rays in the sun onto the human cornea, which can burn the corneal epithelium and even cause epithelial detachment and matrix edema. If it is more serious, it will cause the entire cornea to become cloudy, which will affect vision.

Symptoms of Snow Blindness

Generally, the onset occurs 3-8 hours after exposure, and is manifested by strong foreign body sensation, stinging, photophobia, tearing, eyelid spasm, red and congested eyes, etc. In severe cases, it can cause diffuse epithelial detachment of the cornea, severe pain, inability to open the eyes, and even blurred vision. Snow blindness is not "immune". If people who have had snow blindness do not pay attention, they will get it again, and each time will be more serious than the last. Repeated snow blindness can cause a person's vision to deteriorate, and even cause long-term eye diseases and blindness.

Emergency treatment

0 1 Avoid rubbing your eyes with your hands. You should immediately go to a warm, dimly lit place to rest. If the symptoms are not relieved, seek medical attention immediately.

0 2Immediately put on sunglasses, snow goggles, goggles, etc. You can use an eye mask, clean gauze, etc. to cover your eyes to avoid light exposure to prevent further worsening of symptoms.

0 3 After snow blindness occurs, the cornea will be in an extremely fragile state. If you wear contact lenses, you should remove them immediately to reduce the risk of corneal irritation and infection. Artificial tears can be used appropriately to moisturize and nourish the cornea.

0 4 You can use a cold towel to relieve pain and irritation symptoms, but do not use homemade saline solution to clean your eyes.

0 5 Reduce eye strain and have a good rest. Generally, you can recover in 1-3 days. Severe symptoms can be eliminated in about 5-7 days. If it does not improve after more than 48 hours, seek medical attention as soon as possible. How to prevent it?

1. Wear goggles when playing in the snow to prevent the strong light reflected from the snow from entering your eyes directly. You need to choose glasses with UV protection. Ordinary sunglasses cannot replace ski goggles . It is more appropriate to choose glasses with words such as "UV protection", "UV400", "UV protection" on the outer packaging.

2. When you stay in the snow for a long time, you need to control the time properly. If you feel uncomfortable in your eyes, it is best to stop and close your eyes to rest, or change the environment, do not let the strong light continue to irritate your eyes, you can use a clean cotton cloth to apply to your eyes.

3. Poor-quality sunglasses will absorb harmful light and are more likely to damage the eyes. Long Fengjiao, director of the ocular surface and corneal disease department of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University , reminds that people with high myopia are not recommended to participate in intense ice and snow sports, because the eye axis of patients with high myopia becomes longer, the eyeball wall is softer and thinner, and the retina becomes fragile. Once a collision occurs during high-speed sliding, it is easy to cause retinal detachment and blindness.

In recent years, more and more people love ice and snow sports. With the arrival of the new snow season, while we enjoy the joy brought by sports, we should also pay attention to the prevention of sports injuries and remember to do the corresponding warm-up and protective preparations. When eye discomfort occurs, pay attention to self-examination and seek medical treatment in time to prevent irreversible conditions.