snow-blindness

1 8.1

Temporary loss of sight from sunlight reflected off snow

noun
/snoʊˈblaɪndnəs/

: ceguera por nieve

After hours of trekking through the snow, I realized that I was experiencing snow-blindness and needed to rest my eyes.

Examples

What, have you got snow blindness now?

Ice Spiders (2007)
He squinted; snow blindness could strike a man at this time of year.

Fiction book (1992)
When skiing on bright days, it is important to wear goggles to prevent snow-blindness from the sun's reflection off the snow.
Many climbers suffer from snow-blindness if they underestimate the dazzling brightness of the snow at high altitudes.

Synonyms

snowblindness

vssnow-blindness

8.3

Temporary loss of sight that happens when bright sunlight reflects from snow or ice

attributes it specifically to the sun's ultraviolet rays

Antonyms

sightedness

3 7.2

Ability to see clearly without problems

How Severe

blindness

70 3.1

snow-blindness

1 8.1

dazzle

11 5.6

eye strain

1 3.2

Surface Forms

snow-blindness singular

snow-blindnesses plural

Morphology

snow-blindness = snow-blind (transparent) = snow + blind + ness

The adjective 'snow-blind' (snow + blind) plus the noun-forming suffix '-ness' straightforwardly yields 'blindness caused by snow glare'.

Etymology

The word snow-blindness is a simple compound of snow and blindness, which mean 'snow' and 'not able to see'. It describes the temporary loss of sight that happens when bright sunlight or glare from snow hurts the eyes, so the name tells you exactly what causes the problem.