Why You Can Trust CNET Solar Eclipse Eye Worries? You're Not Alone. Here's What Could Be Going On
Whether you wore glasses but you're still anxious about it, or you snuck a bare peek at the sun, here's what to know.
- Added coconut oil to cheap coffee before keto made it cool.
Yesterday's solar eclipse shone brightly on the best parts of us. People on social media documented strangers coming together to view the spectacle; many folks captured images of nature's glory; and everyone took a moment outside to appreciate something bigger.
But another type of report surfaced following the eclipse. Some people are feeling nervous because they took a look at the sun without solar eclipse glasses, or they didn't fit them properly, or they took pictures without taking the proper precautions. Maybe they did wear proper glasses the whole time but their eyes still feel a little "off" or they got a headache yesterday afternoon.
Whether you should go in for an eye exam depends on your symptoms and whether you wore the right eye protection. But if you experienced a headache yesterday, or your eyes felt more tired than usual (maybe you're just noticing your eyes a bit more today), eye discomfort following an eclipse doesn't necessarily mean you've caused irreversible damage to your eyes.
Here's what to know and when it's a good idea to get an eye exam.
Eclipse viewing may have caused eyestrain
We talk a lot about eyestrain when it comes to staring at our screens, but focusing on anything for a long time, especially without blinking normally, can cause symptoms of eyestrain.
Though this may be uncomfortable and cause temporary symptoms (or even panic, if you're worried you accidentally harmed your eyes viewing a solar eclipse), eyestrain doesn't cause permanent vision problems.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of eyestrain include:
- Headache
- Sore, tired or itching eyes
- Sore neck, shoulders or back
- More sensitivity to light
- Harder time concentrating
- Hard time keeping your eyes open
It's worth noting that headache and light sensitivity can also be milder symptom of solar retinopathy, but because this condition is caused by damage to the retina, accompanying symptoms of more serious cases will typically include things that affect your vision or your ability to see, rather than just causing tired eyes or a headache.
If you're prone to migraines, it's also "certainly possible" that viewing the eclipse could've triggered a migraine, according to ophthalmologist Dr. Jason P. Brinton.
"There are many potential migraine triggers, and I'm not surprised to hear that some patients who suffer from migraine felt that their headache was brought on by viewing the eclipse," Brinton said in an email.
Eye pain is also possible if you've over-exposed the outside of your eye UV light, causing photokeratitis (snow blindness). According to the Cleveland Clinic, this typically goes away on its own within a few hours or days, and it's a different condition than solar retinopathy, which damages the retina and is the main concern during a solar eclipse (more on that below). Brinton noted that wearing eclipse glasses would've protected against snow blindness, but in general, using a cold compress and artificial tears may help relieve the temporary condition.
Thinking about your eyes can make you notice more sensations
If you wore your eclipse glasses while viewing the solar eclipse, especially if you checked them beforehand to make sure they were the real deal — and you can still see normally today — chances are good that your eyes or vision haven't been irreparably harmed.
If you can't stop noticing your eyes, or you feel like they're somehow different, it's possible you're hyperfixating on something that's always been there but that's more noticeable now — after all, for the past couple of weeks all of North America has been focused on vision and eye safety.
This isn't to dismiss your symptoms but just to provide a little perspective as to the relationship between our mind and body, and how we can create sensations based on where we put our attention, or make mild ones more noticeable. As an example, I have some eye floaters (those little gray squigglies) in my field of vision technically all the time, but I usually notice them only if I think about it, or if I'm staring at a very light background (like the sky).
The brain is a "powerful and complex sensor" with a switch that can either increase or decrease the signal from our experiences, Brinton explained.
"When we focus on something, the gain switch turns up," he said. "When we focus our attention away, the gain switch gets turned down."
Read more: Relive the Solar Eclipse: Best Photos So Far
Signs you should go see a doctor to have your eyes checked
Dr. Michelle Andreoli, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in a media statement that symptoms that could mean permanent damage to your eyes typically appear within 4-6 hours, but that some people may notice symptoms after 12 hours.
"Some of the symptoms to look out for include blurry vision, headache, a blind spot in your vision, distorted vision, or changes in the way you see color," Andreoli said. She added that if you think you've hurt your eyes looking at the eclipse, you should see an ophthalmologist, who will be able to tell whether you have damage and how severe it is.
The Cleveland Clinic says that in some cases, it may take days to notice vision problems from solar retinopathy, or damage to the retina from looking at the sun. Also, you likely won't have experienced pain during the initial damage, because the retina itself doesn't have pain receptors.
So if you do you feel your eyes were at risk, or you're worried your eclipse glasses weren't legitimate, it's a good idea to pay attention to new visual symptoms over the next couple of days, and to err on the side of caution if you're experiencing pain (for whatever reason) or if your vision is distorted.
Read more: The Secret to Ageless Eyes: 4 Expert Tips for Lifelong Eye Health
