snow goggles

Snow blindness is like a sunburn on the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye. Thule hunters, like their Inuit descendants, carved snow goggles out of ivory and bone to prevent snow blindness. The goggles were often curved to fit the hunter’s face, and a sinew strap was used to keep the goggles attached to the head. Two long slits were carved through the goggles so they covered each eye. These slits limited the amount of light hitting the eye, making snow goggles among the world’s first sunglasses!