Woman suffers from snow blindness after using UV lamp to disinfect at home. What scenarios pose a threat?

China Science and Technology News Network, January 17 (Qin Chuan) According to a recent report by Lizhi News, Ms. Liu from Jiangsu bought an ultraviolet lamp. After using it at home, she felt discomfort in her eyes and went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with photoelectric conjunctivitis.

Photoelectric conjunctivitis is an inflammation caused by ultraviolet damage to the cornea and conjunctival epithelium. It is also called snow blindness. It is characterized by red and swollen eyelids, conjunctival congestion and edema, severe foreign body sensation and pain, and symptoms include fear of light, tearing, and inability to open the eyes. During the onset of the disease, there will be blurred vision.

Ultraviolet light can be natural light or artificial light, because ultraviolet light can be absorbed by nucleic acids and proteins, causing damage through photoelectric, chemical, biological inhibition, and fluorescence effects.

It may occur during welding operations or in places where ultraviolet radiation is generated. In addition, in dazzling environments such as mountains, snow, deserts, and sea surfaces, long-term exposure to a large amount of ultraviolet rays reflected from sunlight can also cause symptoms similar to photoelectric conjunctivitis.

For example, on snowy ground, the ice crystals are like mirrors, and they are highly reflective. Moreover, the ski resort is open and lacks shelter, which cannot weaken the sunlight, and the reflectivity can be as high as 95%. When skiing or in a snowy environment, if you do not wear snow goggles to protect your eyes, the strong ultraviolet rays will directly enter your eyes and cause damage to your eyes.

When you are watching the snow or walking in the snow, it is best to wear black sunglasses or protective glasses to avoid the ultraviolet rays reflected by the snow from hurting your eyes.