Eye Experts Warn 70 Were Hurt After 1999 Eclipse as Symptoms May Emerge Hours Later
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 13
Eye Experts Warn 70 Were Hurt After 1999 Eclipse as Symptoms May Emerge Hours Later
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 13
Summary
Hours after Wednesday's eclipse, eye specialists urged anyone who looked at the sun to watch for blurred vision, a central dark spot or rising light sensitivity and seek urgent checks if symptoms appear.
Solar retinopathy can develop because eclipse dimming weakens the instinct to look away while ultraviolet light still damages the retina; the injury is painless at first, so signs may surface only several hours later.
Moorfields surgeon Alexander Ionides said local opticians can perform retinal scans and refer patients to eye units, adding that ordinary sunglasses were never sufficient protection compared with certified eclipse glasses.
Around 70 people suffered sight damage after the 1999 total eclipse in the UK, often after looking for less than a minute, but Ionides said far fewer people had contacted his hospital by Thursday morning.