Total Solar Eclipse 2024: ‘Why do my eyes hurt?’ tops Google search after celestial event

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: As Total Solar Eclipse 2024 darkened the skies cutting across some parts of the United States and Canada, there was an exponential increase in people looking to know "why do my eyes hurt?" and "my eyes hurt" on Google.

Although it's widely understood that viewing an eclipse with the naked eye can lead to damage to the retina, commonly referred to as solar retinopathy or retinal blindness, skywatchers may not immediately sense the effects of directly observing a solar eclipse without enough protection.

WHY IS LOOKING AT SOLAR ECLIPSE WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION DANGEROUS?

Eye experts have always warned people against looking at a solar eclipse without proper protection as Sun rays can damage eyes.

The sun's bright rays can burn cells in the retina at the back of the eye. Since the retina doesn’t have pain receptors, there’s no way to feel the damage as it happens. Once the cells die, they don’t come back.

Solar eye damage, called solar retinopathy, can lead to blurred vision and color distortion.

In a 2017 case of retinopathy, a woman, who had looked at the solar eclipse with naked eyes, reported a black dot in her vision. She was later diagnosed with retinal damage that mirrored the shape of the eclipse.

“The dark spot she was describing was in the shape of a crescent,” Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, a Mount Sinai ophthalmologist, was quoted as saying by AP.

Experts across the world advise against looking at a solar eclipse for even a few seconds unprotected. There are reports of solar retinopathy after every solar eclipse, and US eye doctors saw dozens of extra visits after the one in 2017.

“It can be dangerous if we aren’t careful, but it’s also very safe if we take the basic precautions,” said Dr. Geoffrey Emerson, a board member of the American Society of Retina Specialists said.

(With AP inputs)