What is snow blindness? Causes, symptoms and how to prevent it

Published 2026-03-05

Category News

What is snow blindness?

Understand, prevent and treat this eye burn in the mountains

You return from a magnificent day of skiing, but your eyes burn, tear up and turn red? You may be suffering from snow blindness, also called "sunburn of the eyes". This little-known phenomenon affects thousands of skiers and hikers every year. Follow us, we'll explain everything...

Snow blindness: definition

Snow blindness is a painful inflammation of the cornea caused by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. The exact medical term is photokeratitis or actinic keratitis.[web:62][web:65]

How does it happen?

Just like your skin can get sunburned, your eyes can literally burn under the effect of UV rays. In the mountains, this risk is doubled by two factors:

Altitude: we lose 10-12% of natural UV filter every 1000m of elevation (thinner atmosphere)[web:65][web:73]
Albedo effect: snow reflects up to 80% of UV rays, turning the ground into a giant mirror that bombards your eyes from below[web:65][web:73]

Result? Your eyes receive a much higher UV dose than they can handle, and the corneal cells are literally burned.[web:62][web:67]

Snow blindness symptoms

Progressive appearance

Sneaky feature: symptoms don't appear immediately. They usually manifest 6 to 12 hours after exposure, often at the end of the day or during the night.[web:62][web:67][web:68]

Characteristic signs

You can recognize snow blindness by:

✅ Intense pain in the eyes (gritty or burning sensation)
✅ Abundant tearing and uncontrollable
✅ Significant redness of the eyes
✅ Photophobia (extreme light sensitivity)
✅ Foreign body sensation in the eye
✅ Blurred vision
✅ Eyelid swelling
✅ Associated headaches

Who is affected?

Snow blindness doesn't just affect skiers! Those concerned include:

? Skiers and snowboarders (especially beginners who forget protection)
? Mountain hikers (snow + altitude)
⛷️ Cross-country skiers (long exposure)
? Mountaineers (high altitude + glaciers)
? Sledders and walkers (often without protection)
?️ Mountain photographers (focus on camera = forget protection)

Prevention: how to avoid snow blindness

Eye protection is mandatory

The golden rule: NEVER ski, hike or even walk in the mountains without proper eye protection.

At Aurak, two protection options:

1. Ski goggles

Aurak ski goggles offer optimal protection:[web:61]

Full field of vision coverage
Lateral protection against reflected UV
WLA anti-fog technology (34 air vents)
Double lens for thermal insulation
Category 3 lenses

Goggle advantages:

Maximum protection (no lateral UV entry)
Perfect hold even in action
Protection against wind and cold

2. Sunglasses

Aurak EVO sunglasses for less intense activities:

Certified 100% UV protection
Category 3 polarized lenses
Exceptional lightness (17g)
Adjustable nosepad (3 sizes)
Unbreakable Grilamid TR90 material

Sunglasses advantages:

Versatility (spring skiing, hiking, city)
Lightweight and comfortable
Elegant style

⚠️ Beware of misconceptions

❌ "It's cloudy, I'm safe" → FALSE, 80% of UV passes through clouds[web:62]
❌ "I'm only staying an hour" → FALSE, 30 minutes is enough for snow blindness
❌ "I'm in the shade" → FALSE, reflection still reaches you

The albedo effect: understanding the phenomenon

Why is snow so dangerous?

Snow has an albedo of 80%, meaning it reflects 80% of the UV rays it receives.[web:65][web:73]

Comparison with other surfaces:

Fresh snow: 80-90% reflection
Sand: 15-25%
Water: 10-20%
Grass: 3-5%
Asphalt: 5-10%

Consequence: In snowy mountains, your eyes receive UV:

Directly from the sun (from above)
Reflected by snow (from below)

That's a double exposure explaining the severity of snow blindness cases.[web:65]

Altitude worsens the risk

The higher you go, the thinner the atmosphere filters UV less:

1000m: +10% UV compared to sea level
2000m: +20% UV
3000m: +30% UV[web:65][web:73]

At 3000m on snow, your eyes receive over twice the UV dose than at the beach.

Aurak eye protection

At Aurak Protection, we never compromise between safety, comfort and style. That's why we've developed a complete range to protect your eyes in all situations.