This morning I drove my partner’s father’s truck to work today and noticed that I went out of my way to have my sunglasses with me. I usually keep them in my car, but after a series of subconscious events I had kept them close so that I would have them this morning until I retrieved my own vehicle. I didn’t start wearing sunglasses regularly until I started college (it was easier to people watch if people don’t know I was watching them). I now find myself wear sunglasses all the time and feel very uncomfortable without them. This is probably all for the better because your eyes are very sensitive organs that are very important to daily activities, and working in the design field I would be useless without sight.
Before my people watching college days I always tried to wear proper eye protection when the situation called for it. I wear eye wear while skiing more than any other activity. The reflection off of the snow is so harsh that is can cause serious damage in a matter of hours. Every thousand feet (approximately 305 meters) increase in elevation, the intensity of UV rays increases by five percent. Being up at 10,000-14,000 feet I imagine that the UV rays are pretty intense. Snow blindness is basically a sunburn of the cornea and conjunctiva, and may not be noticed for several hours from exposure. Symptoms range from bloodshot and teary eyes to swelling shut. In very severe cases, snow blindness can cause permanent vision loss. Reflective eye damage doesn’t only happen from the snow, it happens with water, glass, grass and any surface that reflects so make sure that you have a good pair of sunglasses for when the situation calls for it, weather people watching or otherwise.
~Zac~
