Snowblind!

[rwc1969]

I was out all day ice fishing on a lake with a fresh cover of 6-8" of snow. It wasn't even sunny, but I got some beginning effects from snowblindness. Scratchy eyes and extreme sensitivity to light followed by a headache. This lasted for a day.

I didn't notice anything until I came in for a break and my eyes felt like they had something in them. funny thing is when I went back out I was fine, but when I got home at night the symptoms really kicked in and I couldn't even stare at the monitor.

By morning I was much better, but couldn't really get on the computer or watch TV for another day.

Guess I've gotta get me a pair of shades or wittle some. I used to always wear shades so it was never a problem. So, now I know what snowblindness is.

[welderguy]

Hope your feeling better, The description you gave is similar to what welders call flash burn, and it sucks .

[hunter63]

I hope your feeling better as well, that Really Sucks, very real danger of permanent damage....hope it goes away.
Glad you brought this up, as I'll bet thet most of us don't have snow goggles in any BOB, or Kit, other than sunglass. I know I don't, yet.

[tsitenha]

When you get shades get the polarized ones and get the wrap around style to minimise stray side sunrays from comming in.
Summer fishing glasses with side shield are great.

[Batch]

I've had flash burn bad. That sucks real bad. Eyes burned so bad in any light or if any air was flowing I put a pillow over my head and my eyes were still burning and my nose running from the pain.

I also thought I had flash burn and was trying to tuff it out. But, after three days I had to go to the doctor. Where he removed a now rust piece of slag.

[rwc1969]

Rusty slag, yummy. I've had flash burn too and it's pretty much the same thing.

I used to have the polarized fishing glasses, but haven't had the funds to get another pair. Seems like I go thru a pair or two a year.

[tsitenha]

One "remedy" that my old partner used was to place a warm (not hot) tea bag over his eyes after he got " arc flashed" he said it helped him, does anyone ever heard or can verify this?

[trax]

When I was quite young I was out on a winter day with my .22 and started to get similar symptoms to what the OP described. My eyes started to water really bad too and a serious burning sensation in the eyes. I sat on a rock and held handfuls of snow over my eyes for five to ten minutes. I don't know if it's the right thing to do or not, but it worked. Can't say about the tea bag thing.

[Rick]

I would guess, that's all it is, is the snow probably served to reduce any swelling in the eye and that reduced the pain. Just a guess. Don't know about the tea bag.

[Rick]

If you are ever out like that and don't have sun glasses with you but do have some aluminum foil (maybe in your kit?) just fashion the foil like glasses and poke lots of pinholes where the lens would be. The pinholes will let you see but reduce the amount of light getting to your eyes. The aluminum foil will also reflect a lot of the glare from the snow further protecting your eyes.

[trax]

I would guess, that's all it is, is the snow probably served to reduce any swelling in the eye and that reduced the pain. Just a guess. Don't know about the tea bag.

and it was nice and dark while | was holding the snow there

[Winnie]

The teabag treatment works for eye soreness. It was recommended to me by my doc when I had chlorine eyes. It certainly helps reduce the soreness.

[tipacanoe]

If I don't wear my prescription sunglasses and side shields when I out in the snow, the next day is a migraine headache for sure. My problems started when I was in the Navy down in Antarctica with VXE-6, and didn't wear them like I should have all the time, a long time ago. At the shipyard where I work, first aid use to recommend the tea bag treatment for flashes from welding. You really don't hear about flashes much anymore with the increased use of safety glasses, side shields and curtains, and that is a good thing.

[randyt]

a fella should always have his 2 dollar space blanket with him. a strip ripped from that would work kinda like the tin foil.

[trax]

I appreciate the info on the teabag thing being effective, thanks Winnie and Tipacanoe (now I'm going to have to switch from coffee to tea when I'm out in the bush in the winter unless someone can speak to the effectiveness of coffee grounds for treating snowblindness)

[rwc1969]

... You really don't hear about flashes much anymore with the increased use of safety glasses, side shields and curtains, and that is a good thing.

Mentioning things like that to my last boss was grounds for possible termination. In fact it may be part of the reason I was "let go".

No such thing as safety or ergonomics there.

[Rick]

I've been doing some reading on the tea bag thingy and it appears the reason it works is because it's nothing more than a cool compress. I can't find any science that says tannic acid (which I thought might be the fix) works on snow blindness. So the tea bag apparently does the same thing Trax's snow did. That is to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

[randyt]

for a experiment today, i took a strip from a two buck emergency blanket for make shift goggles. i found out you can see through the material with out punching holes in it. it's kinda like sunglasses.. a guy could tie a strip around the head over the eyes, might look a bit like zorro but hey.

[neondog]

You can also see through a lot of potato chip bags if you are caught in an area with no bob but lots of litter. Shiny side out should work as good as a space blanket.

[Rick]

Wife: "What are you doing?"
Me: "Trying out my new potato chip snow blind sun goggles."
Wife: Shaking head and walking away.

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Good stuff guys. I like both ideas!!!!!!!!

Bear encounter in the wild...

Bear thinking "Oh, this is too easy. With chips no less."