It was called the biggest astronomical event of the decade.
An estimated 32 million people enjoyed one of the most spectacular views visible from Earth when a solar eclipse swept across North America on Monday.
Videos shared on social media showed people looking up at the grayish sky to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon that left only the sun’s outer atmosphere visible, briefly obscuring the outside during the day.
But without proper precautions, such as special eclipse glasses, viewers could have permanently damaged their eyes, experts warned.
“Now my eyes are burning and my neck hurts suspiciously,” admitted one X user in Manitoba, Canada.
An estimated 32 million people enjoyed one of the most spectacular views visible from Earth when a solar eclipse swept across North America on Monday. Above, people watch Monday’s solar eclipse from Times Square in New York on April 8, 2024.
Videos shared on social media showed people looking up at the grayish sky to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon that left only the sun’s outer atmosphere visible, briefly obscuring the outside during the day. In the photo, people wear protective glasses to observe the eclipse at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
“Now my eyes are burning and my neck hurts suspiciously,” admitted one X user in Manitoba, Canada. Others complained of “eye pain,” and Google searches increased markedly after the event.
Others complained of “eye pain,” and Google searches increased markedly after the event.
According to NASA, the retina “can be damaged before you even realize it and then it may be too late to save your vision.”
“Even a few seconds of viewing the sun during an eclipse can temporarily or permanently burn the macula,” said Johns Hopkins ophthalmologists Neil Bressler, Jun Kong and Fernando Arévalo before the solar eclipse.
“Once retinal tissue is destroyed, it cannot regenerate, resulting in permanent loss of central vision.”
Considered one of the most vulnerable regions of the retina, the macula plays a key role in discerning details such as written text.
The result of damage to the macula can be astonishing: seeing one’s own face blank in a mirror or not being able to make out the words on a newspaper, as if it were blank.
It only takes about 100 seconds of exposure for solar radiation to cause damage to a person’s retina, although times will vary depending on the intensity of the sun, which can vary depending on the time of day and geography, and the pre-existing condition of the person’s eyes. a person. .
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends that concerned people watch for “visual symptoms within four to six hours” or even the day after the solar eclipse.
Some may also notice signs after 12 hours.
Symptoms of an injury often include headaches, blurred vision, a “blind spot” in one or both eyes, eye sensitivity, or visual distortions.
Those distortions can be particularly unusual, making objects appear smaller than they really are or creating twists or deformations in central vision.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. This illustration shows the shadow of the moon on April 8, as it moved across the face of the Earth.
April 8: This color-coded map shows the path of totality as a dashed line in hot pink. This is where the moon blocked all the sun. Further afield are areas that saw a partial eclipse. Here, the percentage of sun blocked in these color-coded areas is provided.
Fortunately, they can improve over time.
“Many people recover within three to six months, but some will suffer permanent vision loss, in the form of a small blind spot and distortion,” according to the AAO.
However, about half of those diagnosed with “eclipse blindness” will fully regain their vision after six months, said Dr. Ralph Chou, associate professor of optometry at the University of Waterloo.
“In the end you have to wait and that’s the really unfortunate part,” he added.
“The typical person who has been injured will wait six to 12 months before knowing what their final status will be.”
Dubbed the ‘Great American Eclipse,’ Monday marked the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the world since December 2021, and the first seen from the US since August 2017.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon and sun line up perfectly and the moon is close enough to us to cover the entire sun, from our perspective.
However, cloudy skies prevented viewers in the UK from seeing a partial eclipse, in which the moon covers part of the sun.
Likewise, it was unlikely that many people across the country would have seen the historic event if it had been clear.
Simon Partridge, a Met Office forecaster, said: “Chances are most of England and Wales probably wouldn’t have seen it anyway.”
He added that outside north-west Scotland the eclipse would have been “very, very small and probably would not have been noticed” even if clouds had not obscured it.
Dubbed the ‘Great American Eclipse,’ Monday marked the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the world since December 2021, and the first seen from the US since August 2017. Pictured, eclipse viewers stand They headed to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York to watch the city descend into darkness
In 1999, there were 14 reports in the UK of eye damage following a solar eclipse.
And in 2017, a New York woman suffered blurred vision and permanent dark spots after looking directly at the solar eclipse.
Nia Payne, 26, told doctors she first looked at the sun during the eclipse for six seconds, then borrowed a pair of what she thought were eclipse glasses and looked at the sun for another 15 to 20 seconds.
But six weeks later, he still saw dark spots in his left eye.
‘It is shameful. “People will assume I was just one of those people who stared at the sun or didn’t stare at the person with glasses,” Payne told CNN at the time.
‘It’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life. But it could be a lot worse and I try to count my blessings.’
Doctors diagnosed him with a rare case of acute solar retinopathy, which occurs when the retina of the eye is severely damaged when looking directly at the sun.
Experts recommend contacting an optician the moment the viewer suspects they may have solar retinopathy or eclipse blindness.
The last total solar eclipse that could be seen from the UK was in 1999 and there won’t be another until 2090.