Doctor, Doctor...
By Dave Hall
For all you hypochondriacs out there, Dave Hall continues his regular look at a some of the more unusual medical conditions, as well as some you thought you knew all about.
This week: NIPHABLEPSIA - SNOW BLINDNESS.
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Condition – A painful condition, which is caused by exposing unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet rays in bright sunlight reflected from snow or ice. It is common in Polar Regions and on mountains, where with every roughly 305 meters increase in height, the intensity of UV rays goes up 5%. Symptoms of the condition could start out at sore, bloodshot eyes, increased tear production, itchy and aching eyes, swelling and, in very severe cases, permanent loss of vision. The Inuit carve goggles from reindeer antler with tiny slits in to see through in order to prevent the condition.
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Contagion – Not at all contagious, unless you take your sun shades off because your mate is doing the same – but that’s just stupid…
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| Danger of death – There have been a few reports of climbers going stir crazy after a severe bout of snow blindness, or even walking off a shear drop after having vision problems. But in general, it’s not fatal. |  |
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Incurability? – Don’t rub the eyes, take ibuprofen to ease the swelling and relieve pain and cover the eyes to protect them from the light. Wear sunglasses until the symptoms disappear. If you don’t have your trusty reindeer-carved shades to hand, you can always use normal sunglasses – it’s recommended that you go for something with 99-100% UV absorption, and with lenses made from Polycarbonate or CR-39.
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Likelihood of getting time off work – As long as you made it to the top of Everest/K2/Kilimanjaro/Aconcagua* then no one will question you and you’ll be the talk of the town.
*Insert your favourite high peak here. |
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| Brag-ability – If you have a face that looks like a stung wasp, you won't want to brag about it. |
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Overall ridiculousness – Quite serious for the serious explorer, but not something most of us will have to worry about. With global warming there may also not be any snow to cause snow blindness in 50 years time – thank heaven for small mercies… |
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More conditions to come soon:
Stiff-Man Syndrome, Hot Lung Tub and more.
Find more curious conditions in Doctor Doctor. If you can't wait for the next Doctor Doctor, then why not find a Phunny Phobia to keep you going?
Photo: Sean the Spook/Wiki
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