Surge in ‘eye injuries’ searches after UK witnesses rare solar eclipse

Hundreds of people in the UK are searching for ‘eye injury’ after experts cautioned against watching the solar eclipse with the naked eye.

Skywatchers turned their gazes upward to witness the moon taking a massive bite of the sun for the first time in three decades.

But even though just a sliver of the star was left,looking at it without protective eyewear called eclipse glasses can still cause injury.

People Googling ’eye injury’ skyrocketed from 6pm,just as the moon began to slide in front of the sun,according to Google Trends data.

In the UK,searches for the phrase are up 5,000% compared to the day before,with ‘eclipse eye injury’ now a breakout query.

‘Eyes hurt’ saw a similar uptick in search by around 5,000%,peaking at 100 people searching at 7.08pm,around the peak of the partial solar eclipse.

‘It can be hours before you notice symptoms’

This frown face-shaped sun can still cause some serious damage to your eyes (Picture: Reuters)

Boots Opticians director of optical practice,Kyla Black,told Metro that the damage caused by looking at the eclipse can take hours to happen.

‘Last night’s once-in-a-generation event brought millions together across the world for a breathtaking experience,’ Black says.

‘However,this event was not without its risks. You should never stare directly at the sun,even with 96% of it covered there is still enough sunlight to harm the retina at the back of your eye.’

Eclipse burn – when the leftover sunlight singes a hole in the cornea,which detangles light into nerve signals -can be long-lasting or even permanent.

Damage can occur in less than a minute,as people see a sunspot carved into their vision in the shape of the sun’s crescent-shaped edges.

@metrouk What really happens if you look directly at a solar eclipse? The damage can be permanent,and you might not even realise it’s happening. Here’s why you should never look directly at an eclipse without proper eye protection. #eclipse #solareclipse #moon #sun #science

♬ original sound – Metro

This burst of intense light,called solar retinopathy,isn’t aways painful,meaning people may not even realise they have injured themselves at first.

‘The retina has no pain receptors therefore when damage occurs you will not immediately notice it and it can sometimes be several hours before you notice symptoms,’ Black says.

Within a few hours,people may see black dots and their eyes becoming watery and sensitive to light.

Blind spots may loiter in the centre of their vision,with patients saying they struggle to read and objects appear distorted and blurred.

Researchers have found this is because the light injures the macula,a small yellow part of the back of the eye that helps see colours and detail.

‘While most people recover over weeks or months,others can be left with permanent visual problems,’ adds black.

You could only look at the partial eclipse using certified eclipse glasses (Picture: Getty Images Europe)

Reena Dave,a clinical director at eye healthcare provider Newmedica,worries that there could be a repeat of the historic solar eclipse of 1999,which was followed by nearly 2,500 eye-related injuries,according to the British Medical Journal.

‘We may see a similar spike in the next couple of days as people’s symptoms start to appear,’ she adds.

Gordon Hay,clinical director of the A&E department at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London,told Metro: ‘Following yesterday’s eclipse,we have had less that 30 people either attend our A&E or use our Attend Anywhere A&E video consultation service by 9am today.’

‘It’s similar to sunburn on your skin’

Symptoms of cornea burns take a while to surface because cells injured by intense light ‘malfunction quietly and slowly’,says Emil Kurniawan,a consultant ophthalmologist at the London clinic,OCL Vision.

‘It’s similar to sunburn on your skin,the redness doesn’t appear straightaway,’ Kurniawan adds.

No treatment can reverse the scarring caused by solar retinopathy.

Eclipse glasses,also called solar viewing glasses,are cardboard frames with a special film in the eyeholes that filters out harmful rays.

These rays are ones that are mostly visible to humans,such as ultravioletor infrared light,which is why sunglasses don’t cut it.

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