Remember to Wear the Safety Goggles When You Go Skiing

       If you are planning to go to some famous ski resort to enjoy the snow sports, don’t forget to prepare your ski equipments. There’s one protection device I would like to discuss about in this article, that’s safety goggles. Safety goggles are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. In snow sports, they are used to prevent the snow blindness, which is caused by the exposure of your eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays.

       The snow blindness is also called photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis. It is a painful eye condition caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays from either natural or artificial sources. Photokeratitis is akin to the sunburn of the cornea and conjunctiva, and is not usually noticed until several hours after exposure. Symptoms include increased tears and a feeling of pain, likened to having sand in the eyes.

       The injury may be prevented by wearing eye protection that blocks most of the ultraviolet radiation, such as safety goggles with the proper filters, a welder's helmet, sunglasses rated for sufficient UV protection, or appropriate snow safety glasses. The condition is usually managed by removal from the source of ultraviolet, covering the corneas, and administration of pain relief. Photokeratitis is known by a number of different terms including: snow blindness, arc eye, welder's flash, bake eyes, corneal flash burns, flash burns, niphablepsia, or keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica.

       The pain may be temporarily alleviated with anaesthetic eye drops for the examination; however, it is not used for continued treatment as anaesthesia of the eye interferes with corneal healing, and may lead to corneal ulceration and even loss of the eye. Cool, wet compresses over the eyes and artificial tears may help local symptoms when the feeling returns. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) eyedrops are widely used to lessen inflammation and eye pain, but have not been proven in rigorous trials. Systemic (oral) pain medication is given if discomfort is severe. Healing is usually rapid (24–72 hours) if the injury source is removed. Further injury should be avoided by isolation in a dark room, removing contact lenses, not rubbing the eyes, and wearing sunglasses or safety glasses until the symptoms improve.