Online searches for eye damage jump after eclipse

At least two people booked into area clinic in region for eclipse-related eye injuries

In the minutes and hours after the total solar eclipse, Google search variations of “eyes hurt after eclipse” skyrocketed across Ontario.

By the end of the day, data from the search engine shows hundreds of people were researching information on the subject, with the peak coming at 3:30 p.m.

The solar eclipse began its partial phase just after 2 p.m. in most parts of southern Ontario, and hit totality around 3:15 p.m., lasting just under four minutes.

Many warnings had been issued in the weeks leading up to the rare celestial event about the dangers of staring directly into the sun during the eclipse, which hasn’t happened since 1979, and won’t return for another 120 years, until 2144.

Not all appear to have gotten the message.

While no one ended up in any of Waterloo Region’s hospital emergency rooms reporting eye-related issues on Monday, eye clinics have been receiving requests for appointments a day later.

The Waterloo Eye Institute, part of the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, had at least two patients book appointments at the clinic on Tuesday related to the solar eclipse.

One was due to a change in vision, while the other was for discomfort, said Waterloo optometry associate clinical professor Sarah MacIver.

So, what exactly happens when you stare directly into the solar eclipse?

It is never a smart decision to stare at the sun on any day, explained MacIver, but the reason why a solar eclipse is so dangerous is because dark skies will cause the pupils to dilate.

On a normal sunny day, the pupils constrict, helping to keep out the potentially harmful rays.

With dilated pupils, more of the UV rays and infrared rays from the sun can get into the eye.

“When our pupils don’t restrict and we get an increase in the light rays into the eyes, then that increases the damage that can happen to one of the retinal layers, called the photoreceptor layer, which takes our visual information and sends it to the brain,” said MacIver.

This is the part of the eye that helps us to see clearly, she said. If you are someone who looked at the solar eclipse for too long, or were using fake solar glasses, it could have caused irreversible damage.

“There are two different outcomes,” she said. “In one example, it could start to resolve over time. And in some unfortunate circumstances, it can become chronic, persistent, and it won’t change.”

There is no treatment to reverse the damage once it is done, said MacIver.

For anyone who is experiencing discomfort, the best option is to schedule an appointment with an eye care provider who can look at the retina with a microscope or a retinal imaging device, which takes a picture of the retinal layers in the back of the eye.

If your eyes are just sore, said MacIver, it is possible they are just irritated and there isn’t permanent damage.

In a worst-case scenario, the damage may be permanent, and the person will have to live with it, she said.

The technical term for this type of eye damage is solar retinopathy, and symptoms may include blurred vision, eye pain, a blind spot, or micropsia, when objects appear smaller than they are, or metamorphosia, where straight lines appear rounded.

Symptoms can appear within hours or days of the injury, and anyone experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention immediately to understand the full extent of the damage.

“It is something that happens quite regularly around the world, and not just from an eclipse, but even from staring at the sun on a regular day,” said MacIver. “If there is a concern, the best advice is to go to your eye care provider and figure out what is going on.”