Snow blindness is a temporary decrease in vision caused by bright sunlight reflected from snow. It may last from several days to a week. Occasionally, a person has trouble distinguishing between colors after snow blindness and sees everything colored red. In most cases, snow blindness disappears when a person rests the eyes and remains indoors. However, in rare cases, prolonged exposure to the reflected light can lead to solar retinopathy, a disorder that may result in some permanent loss of vision. Wearing sunglasses or dark-colored goggles helps prevent snow blindness.
