Last night, millions of Britons across the country watched in awe as the sun vanished during the best solar eclipse in a generation.
However, with eclipse glasses in short supply, not everyone followed experts’ advice to avoid looking at the sun without glasses.
Britons have now taken to social media to complain of agonising eye pain after staring directly at the solar eclipse.
And doctors warn that the damage could be permanent.
Dozens of videos shared on TikTok show worried Britons reporting symptoms of eye damage after failing to watch the eclipse safely.
In one clip, an anxious poster said: ‘I stared at it. My eyes are killing me. It’s a feeling I’ve not felt before and I think I’m going to go blind.’
Another user said that they only ‘took a quick peep thinking I’d be fine’, but is now experiencing headaches and blurred vision.’
While one commenter added: ‘They weren’t lying I looked directly at the eclipse and now there’s a big reddish hue in my centre vision.’
Britons have now taken to social media to complain of agonising eye pain after staring directly at the solar eclipse without glasses
Although no one wanted to miss out on the best solar event since 1999, the expert advice was clear: Do not look at the sun directly under any circumstances.
Mfazo Hove, consultant ophthalmic surgeon and founder of Blue Fin Vision, told the Daily Mail that there is no ‘safe number of seconds’ for looking at the sun.
Mr Hove says: ‘Looking directly at the Sun for even a relatively short period can cause solar retinopathy – damage to the light-sensitive part of the retina responsible for our sharp central vision.
‘The important thing is that it is painless while it is happening because the retina itself has no pain receptors, so you may not realise that damage has occurred.’
Hospital data regarding admissions for eye damage has not yet been released, but there is already evidence that some people thought a quick glimpse wouldn’t hurt.
The number of Google searches for the term ‘eyes hurt’ was 5,000 per cent higher on Wednesday evening than the same time last year.
Likewise, searches for ‘eye damage’ were up 700 per cent week on week following the end of the eclipse.
Meanwhile, social media has filled with worried Britons, uncertain whether they have permanently damaged their eyes.
Last night, millions of Britons took to the streets to marvel at a once-in-a-generation eclipse. Pictured: The solar eclipse seen from Glastonbury, England
Experts advised that no one should look at the sun without proper eclipse glasses, but it now appears that many ignored that recommendation. Pictured: People gather to watch the eclipse in Greenwich Park, London, England
One X user complained: ‘Looked at the eclipse for about 5 seconds and I’m now seeing spots maybe people weren’t being dramatic about it damaging your eyes.’
‘Looked at it for literally a sec and now my eyes hurt,’ shared another.
Even if your eyes didn’t start to hurt right away, this doesn’t mean that no damage was done.
Mr Hove says: ‘Symptoms often do not appear immediately. They can develop several hours after exposure.
‘They may include blurred or reduced central vision, a grey or dark spot in the centre of your vision, distortion where straight lines appear bent or wavy, altered colour vision and increased sensitivity to light.’
If you have managed to damage your retinas, the expected recovery time varies widely.
Some people with relatively mild cases of solar retinopathy will improve spontaneously over the coming weeks, with substantial recovery in three to six months.
However, recovery from severe solar retinopathy is not guaranteed.
Social media was filled with people worried that their brief glimpse of the sun might have permanently damaged their vision
‘More significant retinal damage can leave a permanent central blind spot, distortion or reduction in vision,’ says Mr Hove.
‘Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment proven to reverse the retinal injury once it has occurred.’
If you find that your vision has a blurred area or a dark spot in the central region, Mr Hove says the most important thing is not to look at the sun again to ‘test your vision’.
Instead, you should arrange a prompt eye examination with an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.
Mr Hove says: ‘There isn’t an emergency treatment that can undo solar retinopathy, but it is still important to establish the diagnosis and, crucially, rule out other causes of sudden visual loss.’
