How to tell if you have eye damage after staring at the eclipse
Monday’s solar eclipse had all eyes on the sky – but if you weren’t wearing proper protection you might need to get your eyes checked.
According to Google Trends, there was a noticeable spike in people asking about eye damage after the solar eclipse.
The School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo said they got a handful of calls for last-minute eye test appointments after Monday’s celestial event.
Dr. Sarah MacIver, a clinical associate professor at the school, said staring at the sun is never a good idea. During an eclipse, it’s even more dangerous.
“If it's darker out, the eye dilates and it doesn't have that natural constriction. So more light rays come in, which will then increase the chances of having that damage happen to either the front of the eye or the back of the eye,” she explained.
Eye damage
Maclver said an “eye sunburn” is easy to diagnose.
“If they're noticing any discomfort or any redness, any irritation, any light sensitivity,” she explained, adding that it usually resolves itself, or goes away, after the patient uses artificial tears.
More serious damage can, however, happen to the back of the eye.
“The UV light can damage the photoreceptor layer of the retina that translates all of the light to visual information in the brain,” Maclver said.
If you notice vision loss, she recommends seeing an eye doctor right away for a retinal scan.
“When that retinal imaging is done, we can take a look at it live as we're doing it and be able to identify any damage right away,” she said.
The School of Optometry offers same-day appointments if you’re worried about eye damage after the solar eclipse.
In most cases, it would be noticeable in the days following sun exposure.
Retinal damage could lead to permanent vision loss but it is unlikely you’d go completely blind, experts say.
Wearing proper glasses
Maclver said you should be protected if you were wearing the right glasses during the solar eclipse – those that met the safety standards and were from a reputable retailer.
The proper glasses would have ISO 12312 – 2 written on them, to show they have the correct filter to protect the eyes.
Bernard Carrara from Kitchener went to the School of Optometry on Wednesday for his annual eye test. He said he and his family watched the eclipse with the proper glasses on, just south of London.
“It was super. Especially when it got to the corona. We were in an area where they had the full eclipse,” he said.
Carrara added that he’s grateful he’s still seeing 20/20.
“We had no problems,” he said. “We knew the rules.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.