An expert has revealed that people did not heed doctors’ warnings to wear protective glasses when looking at the sun during Monday’s solar eclipse.
A New Jersey ophthalmologist said he has received an influx of patient visits and phone calls from people complaining of sore eyes after viewing the celestial event.
Dr. Jeffrey Dello Russo, an ophthalmologist and LASIK eye surgeon at Dello Russo Laser Vision/New Jersey Eye Center, told DailyMail.com that he has spoken to approximately 25 patients who damaged their eyes during the eclipse.
The solar eclipse swept across the United States on Monday and one doctor said he has already received 25 calls and visits from patients complaining of eye damage.
Dr. Jeffrey Dello Russo said he saw people in New York City watching the solar eclipse without protective glasses and warned that great damage could be caused by just a few seconds of looking at the sun.
Dello Russo confirmed that some of his patients, about three or four people, had some difficulties with color vision and had admitted to seeing the eclipse without protective glasses.
“A couple of people admitted they didn’t use solar eclipse glasses at all, some misunderstood them or tried sunglasses, and some said they shared glasses with other people.”
Fortunately, no children have been affected, Dello Russo said, adding that it’s frightening how much damage could be caused by just watching the eclipse for a few seconds.
The solar eclipse was viewed by people across the country and Dello Russo said that fortunately, none of the people he has spoken to have suffered lasting damage to their eyes. This image shows a couple watching the eclipse from The Hub bar in Allen, Texas.
Dello Russo confirmed that he has not seen any children whose eyes were damaged by the solar eclipse.
Dr. Jeffrey Dello Russo is an ophthalmologist at the New Jersey Eye Center.
“One of the key issues, beyond irritation and discomfort, and one of the main concerns, is solar retinopathy,” Dello Russo said.
This is when damage occurs to the rods and cones at the back of the eye area, which can cause color distortion and blindness.
“When you look at a solar eclipse there are no pain receptors,” he said, “so long-term damage could occur.”
Viewing the eclipse with the naked eye can cause minor damage such as irritation and blurred vision called photokeratitis, which Dello Russo described as “almost like getting a sunburn on your retina,” which heals on its own.
The last solar eclipse that could be seen from the US was in 2017, but it had a much smaller path of totality and could be seen primarily in rural areas.
At the time, Dello Russo said there were about 100 cases of people who experienced total vision loss when viewing the solar eclipse without proper ISO glasses.
Solar eclipse glasses are only legitimate if they have an ISO mark on the inside of the frame and last month, the American Astronomical Society warned people about counterfeit and fake versions being sold online.
For the 2024 eclipse, Dello Russo said he saw it in Brooklyn, which was out of the path of totality, and said he saw people looking at the sky without wearing solar eclipse glasses.
He said he stopped to tell those people that it only takes a couple of seconds to cause lasting damage and said they seemed grateful and “everyone listened.”
If anyone is experiencing symptoms that could be related to viewing the solar eclipse, Dello Russo urged people to get it checked out immediately.
“It’s a great excuse to get an eye exam anyway,” he said, “but if you experience any symptoms, see a doctor right away.”