Eye Protection and Sunglasses for Snow Blindness

Winters in Canada are cold, especially in the prairies. But Canadians are tough, resilient and stubborn.

Everyone with maple syrup in their blood knows how to be ready for winter, and even though we have all the equipment to brave the most frigid of snowstorms, we’ll wait until the absolute coldest point before we put on our heavy coats. It’s how we train our bodies to get used to the cold, after all.

Placebo? Naw, it’s not a placebo. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

One thing we don’t take care of enough in winter is our eyes. If you were to ask anyone what the first thing that comes to mind when you mention snow they’ll say cold. They fail to mention that it’s very bright and harmful to anyone who ventures outside during the sunniest parts of the day and this can cause snow blindness.

What is Snow Blindness?

Snow Blindness, or photokeratitis, is a very real and dangerous condition. It occurs in winter where our eyes are bombarded by UV Rays from above and reflecting from the snow and can cause major discomfort or pain and loss of vision that can quickly become permanent.

The Indigenous people of Canada have been aware of this phenomenon for as long as they’ve been living, hunting and fishing in the tundra of the north. There are also people in other places across the globe where people have lived in the harsh arctic circle. They survived and protected their eyes using specialized eyewear that helped limit exposure to UV light.

Travis Scott wore a pair at a concert earlier this year!

We don’t need specialized equipment made of bone and wood, anymore because we’re fortunate enough to have amazing eyewear that protects our vision from the sun.

When you’re looking for a pair of sunglasses, you’re not limited by style, shape or common vision problems like astigmatism or even colour blindness.

Did you know that if you purchase a pair of frames, you get 50% off a second pair of lenses for another? This also applies to sunglasses as well. It’s an easy way to make sure you’re protected outdoors with a pair of sunglasses.

A Canadian would spend an hour digging out their neighbour in -30 weather. We shovel a few meters more into our neighbour’s sidewalk. Every thermos we fill with coffee has just a bit more than we need for ourselves so we can pour some out to other parents at the rink. We do these things because it’s the Canadian thing to do.

Let’s take care of our eyes in the winter so we can continue doing what keeps us Canadian.