Travel Safety Tips - Snow Blindness

Snow can be blinding

(NC)–We’ve all heard the expression "a blinding snowstorm". Though that refers to whiteout conditions where visibility is reduced, make no mistake, the snow can be blinding too. Bright sun reflecting on a blanket of fresh white snow can reflect damaging rays into unprotected eyes. The casualty may not be aware of the damage at the time – not feeling the effects for up to several hours.

Watch for these symptoms of snow blindness:

• Eyes become sensitive to light

• Pain in eyes or forehead

• Gritty feeling in the eyes.

First Aid for Snow blindness

1. Make sure the casualty is safe and that you have clean hands.

2. Cover the eyes with thick, moist dressings to cool them and keep light out.

3. Secure dressings in place and transport the casualty to medical help.

4. Reassure the casualty often, as they will be temporarily blinded.

Tips Provided By:

St. John Ambulance is Canada’s leading authority on first aid, safety and injury prevention. For more than a century, Canadians have trusted St. John Ambulance for the highest quality training and first aid products. For more information on how you can learn essential lifesaving, safety-oriented™ first aid and more, contact the office nearest you or visit www.sja.ca on the Internet.

All Tips are offered as suggestions only

While we have tried to provide you with a list of suggestions to help parents when travelling with children to keep them safe, unfortunately, we can’t think of everything and it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children’s safety.

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