Eye health specialists have issued guidance for anyone who may have looked directly at the sun during today's partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection. The eclipse, which was visible across the UK, saw the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun, concealing more than 90% of the Sun's surface in some areas. However, experts warn that even a partially obscured sun can cause serious damage to the eyes.
Why Looking at the Eclipse Without Protection Is Dangerous
Nkosi Yearwood, optometrist and council member for Wales at The College of Optometrists, explained that the sun emits more than just visible light. "People often forget that the sun gives out a lot more light than just visible light. There are also ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and it's this whole spectrum that is harmful to our eyes," he said.
He added that the dimming effect during an eclipse can be misleading. "Because the sun starts dimming in the eclipse, many people think that it's safe to look at, but actually even if it's a 90% coverage, you've still got 10% of the sun that you're staring at, and that's still a lot of energy."
Patrick Laidlaw, an optometrist at Optegra Eye Clinic Sheffield, described the potential consequences. "If you look directly at it, it can cause damage to the back of the eye and can cause some retinopathy," he said. "If you look at it for too long you could even develop a central bit of field loss."
What Symptoms to Watch For After the Eclipse
Damage from looking at the sun may not be immediately noticeable. Yearwood noted that symptoms can be delayed. "It can take a few hours or even couple of days before you start feeling the symptoms," he said. He explained that the retina lacks pain receptors, so people may not realise they have caused damage.
"The retina doesn't have any pain receptors, so you can do this damage and not know about it," Yearwood said. He advised looking out for specific signs: "The main things to look out for is any blurring in vision, distortion, a dark spot or a change in your colour vision."
Laidlaw added: "I would also look out for any severe light sensitivity or any reduction in vision." If any of these symptoms occur, Yearwood recommends seeking advice from an optometrist at a local opticians straight away.
How Optometrists Assess and Treat the Damage
When examining patients, optometrists look for changes in the macula, the part of the eye responsible for central vision. "We look for any changes to the macular region, because that's the part of your eye which focuses on the very fine detail. Whenever you're looking at something, your macula is focused on it, and we tend to see changes to the retinal cells," Yearwood said. "It generally shows up as a yellowish spot."
There is no specific treatment for solar retinopathy, but the eye can heal itself in many cases. "Similar to sunburn, it does in most cases does heal itself," Yearwood said. "The length of time to heal and how high the chance of healing depends on how long you look at the eclipse for. So, if you did end up staring at it for too long, you do risk permanent vision damage. If you are worried, go to your local opticians and let them assess you."
Historical data from the last major eclipse in the 1990s shows the risk is real. Yearwood noted that "around 70 people across the UK presented to eye departments with some level of solar retinopathy, and about 40% of these people looked at it for less than a minute."
