First aid for eye sunburn

As there are so many things that irritate our eyes, you first have to be able to identify eye sunburn. Eye sunburn might affect one or both eyes. Typical symptoms of eye sunburn, commonly known as “snow blindness,” (keratitis solaris or keratitis photoelectrica) are: sore/teary/itchy/red eyes where even your vision seems blurred, and an increased sensitivity to light.

In serious cases of eye sunburn, the outer corneal layer is destroyed, which exposes the nerve endings beneath it. Sufferers often complain of the feeling of having a foreign body in their eye, as if sand has got into it. Blinking is uncomfortable, and sometimes very painful. But eye sunburn is normally harmless. Then again, if you experience it repeatedly, it can even lead to cancer, macular degeneration or chronically dry eyes. The term “snow blindness” is used to describe eye sunburn because it often affects people who go hiking in the mountains as snow reflects up to 88 percent of UV rays, which make them all the more powerful. It’s a similar story when you’re lying on the beach: water reflects 10–20 percent of UV rays.¹ Bear in mind that the higher you climb, the stronger the UV radiation will be. For every 100 metres you climb, UV radiation gets up to 12 percent more intense.² It’s up to 16 times higher on snowy terrain. That’s why sunbathers aren’t the only ones who should protect their eyes – anyone who enjoys a spot of skiing, hiking in the mountains or performs welding work is exposed to harmful UV rays.