Snow blindness (Niphablepsia) is a painful condition, typically a
keratitis, caused by exposure of unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet
(UV) rays in bright sunlight reflected from snow or ice. This is
especially a problem in polar regions and at high altitudes, as with
every thousand feet (approximately 305 meters) increase in
elevation, the intensity of UV rays goes up five percent.The problem
is also related to the condition arc eye sometimes experienced by
welders.Snow blindness is akin to a sunburn of the cornea and
conjunctiva, and may not be noticed for several hours from exposure.
Symptoms can run the gamut from eyes being bloodshot and teary to
increased pain, feeling gritty and swelling shut. In very severe
cases, snow blindness can cause permanent vision loss.-
wikipediaMattingly was sure the disappearance of the stars was due
to his **gold visor**. The doctors had advised him to leave the
reflector down, LEST HE BE EXPOSED TO HARMFUL RADIATION, but he
couldnt stand it anymore. *He blinked the visor open just long
enough* for the universe to show a familiar face There they are! A
Man On The Moon - P.492 A.Chaikin From Dr Phil Plaits very own
review of Deep Impact at BadAstronomy dot com.Bad One of the away
team astronauts is ***blinded by the sunlight***. Good ***I suspect
this may not be totally inaccurate;*** I am not sure how close The
Comet was to the Sun when this happened. I would expect NASA to give
them sun visors, however, or build in a UV block to the visor. They
were on the dark side of The Comet, after all, so they would not
have had their sun visors down, and he was admittedly too panicked
to think of snapping it down. Still, a moments exposure should not
have so badly burned his face. That was added for drama. Tribute to
Apollo 17s Jack Crazy Horse Schmitt who wasnt the slightest bit
concerned about potenial damage to his eyes or burns to his face
because he wasnt on the Moon.ALL NASA FOOTAGE USED IN THIS FILM IS
PUBLIC DOMAIN.THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE
GUIDELINES OF FAIR USE IN TITLE 17 § 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE.
SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS
USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM
ONLYNO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED.