Eskimo ..... you can thank my people, the Ojibway and Cree for that description .... in our language it literally just translates to "raw meat eater" ... ('ishishkeh' ... means "raw uncooked meat" and adding the 'eemeh-oo' just denotes that the word is describing a person or group of people)

But when it comes to snow blindness, it's a terrible condition. I had it three or four times when I was a young kid. It's like having sand INSIDE your eye and no amount of scratching can relieve it.

We're south of the Inuit so we are less prone to snow blindness because we have trees and few open spaces. But it's dangerous in the spring time. The combination of snow covered land, longer days and brighter sun is the time for snow blindness.

We never had any real use for snow goggles because the times we needed them were too few in the year. We just avoided going out during those times.

EDIT: .... I wrote 'raw meat water' ... lol ... corrected

[–] rhythmisaprancer@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago

Thank you for sharing! I had never heard any story on Eskimo, only that it wasn't correct and not to use it. I still won't, but it is helpful to know the background. Stay warm and with vision this winter and spring!

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's effectively just sun burn in your eye. As of you were arc welding without goggles.

I've long had a pair of ski goggles/ sun glasses to avoid this because as you describe it sounds like total hell.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The weirdest time I had snow blindness was in the early spring when I was about ten years old. Dad was taking us out for a ride and told us to get our sunglasses. I was a dumb kid and ignored him. Outside it was slightly overcast with a hazy kind of cloud cover, just enough to let a bit of sun through. The light was completely diffused everywhere .... not bright, not harsh but coming in all directions ... the sky, the horizon and bouncing off the snow on the ground everywhere.

I lasted a couple of hours in that ... but by the end the day, I couldn't keep my eyes open, I was so irritated. So it doesn't take bright light to go snow blind ... just constant steady bright light everywhere all the time.

[–] nonfuinoncuro@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

uv radiation easily penetrates clouds vs visible light which is why you still need sunglasses and sunblock when it's overcast