Millions of Americans caught glimpses of a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse Monday afternoon. While many wore protective glasses, some ignored safety guidance and watched with their bare eyes.
Staring directly at the sun during a solar eclipse or at any other time can lead to permanent eye damage. The eclipse is only safe to witness with the naked eye during totality, or the period of total darkness when the moon completely covers the sun.
That is why eye doctors emphasized the importance of wearing proper eclipse glasses during the event.
“What is the risk? If you look directly at the sun, your eye can basically sustain a sunburn,” said Dr. Cynthia Beauchamp, a pediatric ophthalmologist who works in Dallas-Fort Worth. “And perhaps, even more importantly, the back of the eye, the retina, can be damaged by solar retinopathy. Solar retinopathy can cause blurred vision and a blind spot in your central vision. Sometimes it improves, but unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t.”
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What are the symptoms of solar eye damage?
Symptoms of solar eye damage -- called solar retinopathy -- include watery eyes and color distortion, according to Cleveland Clinic experts. People who may have damaged their eyes during the eclipse may also experience headaches and photophobia (sensitivity to light).
More serious symptoms of solar retinopathy include:
- Blurred vision.
- Eye pain.
- Metamorphopsia (straight lines appear rounded).
- Micropsia (objects appear smaller than they are).
- Scotoma (a blind spot in your line of sight).
Doctors say symptoms can appear anywhere within hours or days after the injury and advise individuals experiencing them to immediately seek medical attention.
Did you wear real or fake eclipse glasses?
As for the glasses themselves, there are a few ways to ensure that yours are safe.
The lenses should have a silver appearance on the front and should be black on the inside. They should not be torn or punctured. The ISO needs to have certified the glasses. You can find the ISO logo and the IS 12312-2 code printed on the inside.
The Better Business Bureau warned the public prior to the eclipse after receiving reports of fraudulent eyewear being sold that are not adequate to protect the human eye.
If you want to test them out, they should block out most everything except for bright lights.
Dr. Beauchamp said she and her colleagues expect a certain percentage of the population will not heed the safety warnings regardless of the reason, but stressed that the cloudy weather that is forecasted for Monday should not lull people into a sense of safety.
“The clouds will not protect you from the solar damage, so it’s important to use eye protection either way,” Dr. Beauchamp said.
