Snow Blindness .. in one eye?

[Lisa_D]

Ok, so I climbed Baker this weekend, in howling winds and a whiteout. Knowing from experience that UV rays still penetrate whiteouts, I put on sunscreen and sunglasses a few hours after sunrise. My skin did not get sunburned, nor did I feel a headache or eye strain during the time when I didn't have the sunglasses on. Nobody else in the party wore sunglasses, and I don't think they had problems.

 

The night before, my left eye felt scratchy. When I got to the car, it was watering, red, light-sensitive, and achy. The other eye was fine. I was so miserable that I went to the eye doctor first thing this morning. He ran some tests and couldn't tell me exactly what it was, only that there were no scratches or infections. He thought it was some sort of UV reaction.

 

Has anyone here gotten snow blindness? In one eye? Is that even possible, or was I just really unlucky?

 

 

[MarkMcJizzy]

Never had snowblindness, but I have been (welding) arc flashed a couple of times, including in one eye. Normally passes quickly (a day or two).

[crazy_t]

if you are traveling mainly in one direction on the route (in relation to the sun or wind) during the worst part of the day that can happen, it's happened to me. Sounds like sun/snow issues.

[Lisa_D]

if you are traveling mainly in one direction on the route (in relation to the sun or wind) during the worst part of the day that can happen, it's happened to me. Sounds like sun/snow issues.

 

Thanks for responding; if it's happened to more than one person it's not quite as freaky.

[plexus]

I've burnt both retinas before climbing Goat Peak. Forgot my sunglasses, squinted most of the day to try to limit the damage without avail. My left eye worst than my right one so it is possible. I was in agony for three days (ask my wife). It will pass after time and ever since that day, I have always carried an extra pair of sunglasses in my glove compartment.

 

I also have had very mild snow blindness from doing Anderson Butte in similar conditions you are talking about. Last about a day. Trust me I will take snow blindness over burnt eyeballs any day of any year of any millenium.

[Alpinfox]

I'm glad to hear you went to see a physician.

 

I don't think it's snow blindness since you took steps to prevent it, only one eye is affected, your symptoms started before sun exposure, and no one else was affected.

 

Is your eye red? Bloodshot? eyelid red?

 

Sounds like conjunctivitis or blepharitis to me. Have you been sick recently or been around someone who is ill? Runny nose etc? Any STDs?

 

I'm surpised your doctor ruled out infection. Did he do a culture? Culture tests take a while to get results.

 

Neomycin eye drops prescribed?

 

Was it windy? Could also be abrasion to the cornea from blowing snow/ice/dirt/etc that might not be obvious under the scope.

 

I've had both conjunctivis (in one eye) and snowblindness (both eyes) and they both suck.

 

Chances are whatever it is will resolve itself in a couple days. The cornea heals faster than any other part of your body. Be wary of taking pain meds though becuase you might rub your eye and cause damage without your the pain to warn you to stop. Cold compresses and eye drops might be comforting.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[Lisa_D]

He prescribed some tobramycin drops and I'm going back on Wednesday. Actually my eye is much better already--the pain is gone, and there's no more redness. I did have a small cold this week, which might be a part of it. Also, I was without sunglasses from midnight to about 9 AM, so there was definitely a window of UV and wind exposure.

 

Ironically, I also carry 2 pairs of sunglasses, the one extra item I'll allow myself to pack on glacier trips like this.

[G-spotter]

Hey Mr. AlpinFox, who spooged in your eye and gave you conjunctivitis? :o

[Alpinfox]

Hey Mr. AlpinFox, who spooged in your eye and gave you conjunctivitis? :o

 

Me.

[ketch]

Hey Lisa, I have to agree with the fox on this one. It sounds very much like an infection. I am pretty sure that we met on Baker Sunday. Our high camp was the one you passed at the saddle. And on our way down I think I met you on the way up. We were in the party of three. It was definatley not conditions that would lead to snow blindness. On the other hand it is not unusual that in a group one picks up something and then on the next wipe of the eye you get a weird infection that you where not even thinking about.

 

Now on Saturday I know that the sun was pretty intense up there. I recieved burns even with SPF 40 in places. Snow blindness has a reputation of presenting just before sunrise. In reality it presents after a number of hours from exposure. Is it possible that you didn't take the correct precautions on Saturday? One eye could be the result of making that training lap on saturday in such a way as to always affect one eye but that would be really unlikely.

[iluka]

Alpinfox raises a lot of other good possible explanations for the eye symptoms you had. It is entirely plausible that this was a mild case of snowblindness that developed as a result of exposure on Saturday. Snowblindness can cause asymmetric symptoms (i.e. one eye worse than the other). It also does not take a lot of sun exposure to cause this. Just a few minutes without glasses in a super bright environment such as on a snow field or glacier at altitude may be all you need.

 

An irritant conjunctivitis due to the wind is another good possibility. It sounds as if your doctor did the prudent thing which was to rule out corneal injury and then treat empirically with antibiotic eye drops and have you follow-up to make sure that things are resolving. The eye drops are warranted in snowblindness as well to help prevent infection of the damaged cornea.

[sk]

i totally feel your pain. even the smallest abrasion on your eye feels like someone left their Doc Martins rammed up inside your eyelid. about 2 years ago i tried wearing contacts. I have really dry eyes and one day with out thinking about what i was doing i pulled out one of my contacts without moistening my eye. i ripped my cornea half way off and it rolled up. under my eye lid. 2 weeks later i scratched the other cornea so bad i had to go to the eye doc and make sure i didn't tear that one. that was the end of contacts for me.

 

 

[fishstick]

Could it be that you got some funky sunscreen in your eye?

 

I had snow blindness in the past. Sticky, painful, open blisters formed on my eyeballs that stuck to my eyelids when my eyes were closed. With eyes open, even very slight amounts of light were like staring at the sun. It's incredibly painful and in my case, lasts a number of days.

 

I hope your eye feels better soon.

 

GB

 

 

[sk]

Could it be that you got some funky sunscreen in your eye?

 

I had snow blindness in the past. Sticky, painful, open blisters formed on my eyeballs that stuck to my eyelids when my eyes were closed. With eyes open, even very slight amounts of light were like staring at the sun. It's incredibly painful and in my case, lasts a number of days.

 

I hope your eye feels better soon.

 

GB

 

 

umm OUCH!!!

[catbirdseat]

If you take Rover with you, don't forget to protect HIS eyes.

 

 

[AlaskaNative]

A serious question about the dog.

 

I started taking my dog with me on hikes (not glaciers or up high), but I was wondering if I needed to worry about her eyes on something like Granite Mtn on a bright summer day. It's in the open sun from about 5,000 to 6,000 feet and I was concerned about it.

 

Is this something to worry about, and where can I get goggles for her?

[ketch]

Yes, It is a valid concern to want eye protection for your dog if they will be in intense sunlight or high in the hills. The best site is www.doggles.com. Lots of sizes and accessories for the canine obsessed.