Preventing Snow-Blindness in Children
Young children love the snow, whether it is making snowmen, sledding or racing down the slopes on skis or snowboards. While most parents are very careful to make sure their kids are dressed warmly, they also need to be sure to protect vulnerable young eyes and heads with sunglasses, goggles and helmets.
Although a smaller amount of UV radiation reaches the Earth’s surface during winter, snow is highly reflective. On a sunny winters day, snow can reflect up to 80% of all UV rays, compared with 10% for grass and 15% for dry beach sand.
This intense exposure can temporarily harm the eyes producing “snow blindness” (photokeratitis) which is basically a burn of the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye) by ultraviolet B rays (UVB). The condition typically occurs at high altitudes on highly reflective snow fields or, less often, with a solar eclipse.
Photokeratitis is like having a sunburned eye. This condition affects the thin top surface layer of the cornea — the clear front window of the eye — and the conjunctiva, which is the cell layer covering the inside of the eyelids and the whites of the eye.
Symptoms of snow blindness might not appear until 6-12 hours after exposure. “A child with photokeratitis may complain of extreme sensitivity to light and the feeling of having sand in the eye.
Other symptoms include,
tearing
pain
redness
swollen eyelids
headache
halos around lights
hazy vision, and
temporary loss of vision. An
An Optometrist or Ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately. Treatment is focused on making the child feel better as their eyes heal by either placing a cold washcloth over closed eyes, using artificial tears and/or taking certain pain relievers. Occasionally eye drop antibiotics may be required and rubbing should be avoided.
While a child’s cornea will heal with time and treatment, continued childhood exposure to large amounts of UV radiation may contribute to cataracts and macular degeneration in adulthood.” According to Dr. Mark Borchert, a Paediatric Ophthalmologist and the division head of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the lens of a child’s eye is still developing and it allows 70% more UV rays to reach the delicate retina than in an adult’s eye. “If a child is going to spend several hours in the snow on a sunny day, he should definitely be wearing sunglasses. Goggles are even better because they can prevent debris or snow from entering the eye,” said Dr. Borchert. In addition to goggles, helmets are strongly recommended for young skiers. “Studies show helmets can reduce head injuries by 50 per cent. If kids learn to ski wearing eye protection and helmets, they often continue the practice as adults.
Other artificial sources of UVB can include such sources as suntanning beds, a welder’s arc (flash burn, welder’s flash, or arc eye), carbon arcs, photographic flood lamps, lightning, electric sparks, and halogen desk lamps. They too can cause snow-blindness like symptoms.
Courtesy of:
http://www.medicinenet.com/
http://www.chla.org
http://blogs.parenthood.com/healthe/tag/snow-blindness/
http://www.geteyesmart.org.