What causes corneal flash burns?
Anything that shines enough UV light may burn your cornea. Some causes of corneal flash burns include the following: • Sun: You may get a corneal flash burn when you look directly at the sun. You may also get a corneal flash burn if bright rays of sun shine on your eyes. The sun shines brighter at higher elevations. You are at a higher elevation when the ground is closer to the sun, like on a mountain. • Reflection: You may get a corneal flash burn when you are near snow, water, and sand. This is caused by rays of sunlight strongly reflecting (shining) off of them. Sun may also brightly reflect off of certain metals. If you get a corneal flash burn while snow skiing, it is called snow blindness. Water skiers may also get a corneal flash burn because of the sun reflecting off the water. • Tanning beds: Tanning beds may cause corneal flash burns because of the bright lights used to tan skin. Your cornea is more likely to be burned if you do not wear goggles while tanning. • Tools: Certai
