snow blindness

noun

the usually temporary dimming of the sight caused by the glare of reflected sunlight on snow.

Origin of snow blindness

First recorded in 1740–50

Related formssnow-blind

[snoh-blahynd] /ˈsnoʊˌblaɪnd/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for snow-blind

Historical Examples of snow-blind

This, the first "snow-blind day" claimed McLean for its victim.
The Home of the Blizzard
Douglas Mawson
He was evidently ill, and, as they soon realised, snow-blind.
The Romance of Polar Exploration
G. Firth Scott
When they got back to the ship it was dinner-time, and both were snow-blind.
Crusoes of the Frozen North
Gordon Stables
One of them, snow-blind, towed helplessly at the rear of a sled.
The God of His Fathers
Jack London
But snow-blind men can see in the darkness, and he discovered that he was lying on his back in a room where a fire was flickering.
Sergeant Silk the Prairie Scout
Robert Leighton

British Dictionary definitions for snow-blind

snow-blind

adjective

temporarily unable to see or having impaired vision because of the intense reflection of sunlight from snow

Derived Formssnow blindness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for snow-blind

adj.

1748, from snow (n.) + blind (adj.).

snow-blind in Medicine

snow blindness

[snō]

n.

A usually temporary loss of vision and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea caused by exposure to bright sunlight and ultraviolet rays reflected from snow or ice.

Related formssnow′-blind′ null adj.