‘My Eyes Hurt’ Searches Spike After Solar Eclipse; Should You Worry?

ACROSS AMERICA — If eye soreness, pain or blurry vision have punctured your post-total solar eclipse euphoria, you’re not alone. Many others are frantically entering terms such as “photokeratitis,” “my eyes hurt” and “symptoms of retina damage after eclipse” on their phones and computer keyboards.

Those and related search terms spiked after millions of people stared at the sun as the moon slid in front of it and revealed the spectacle of a spiky corona along the path of totality. Should you be worried if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms?

It depends. Here are three things to know if you’re experiencing eye pain or irritation after watching the eclipse:

2 Types Of Injuries

Staring at the sun can cause two types of injuries: damage to the surface of the eye, or solar or photokeratitis, which causes redness and tearing, and solar or photic retinopathy, a more serious injury to the nerve tissue within the eye.

Solar keratitis usually clears up within a couple of days without causing any permanent damage, Dr. Daniel Lattin, an ophthalmologist at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, told NBC News.

It’s rare to get such an injury from gazing at an eclipse, Dr. Russell Van Gelder, an ophthalmologist at University of Washington Medicine and director of the Karalis Johnson Retina Center in Seattle, told NBC. “You’d need a fair amount of exposure,” he said of the injury, which is more common among rock climbers who spend extended periods of time at high altitudes without proper eye protection.

Anyone experiencing symptoms of solar retinopathy, such as a blind spot, wavy lines, floaters or blurry vision, should see an eye doctor right away. Pain isn’t one of them because the retina doesn’t feel pain or temperature sensations when it’s injured, Dr. Luxme Hariharan, chief of ophthalmology at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Ohio, told NBC.

There is no treatment for solar retinopathy, and some patients’ eyes will recover over time.

Did Solar Glasses Protect?

People who wore proper solar eclipse glasses or used other eye protection are safe in assuming their eyes are OK, but anyone experiencing headaches, soreness, pain or other symptoms after watching the eclipse should check to make sure they were adequately protected.

The American Astronomical Society has a list of trusted manufacturers, but knockoff eclipse glasses infiltrated the market. To check your glasses, look for the international ISO (International Organization for Standardization) code 12312-2 on the inside.

Some discomfort, such as dry eyes after focusing on the eclipse, isn’t uncommon, even among people who properly protected their eyes, m Carl Jacobsen, a clinical professor at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry, told The Washington Post. He recommends lubricating eye drops as a treatment.

The Eye Has Evolved

After the 2017 total solar eclipse, there were 100 documented cases of eye damage across the United States and Canada. Many times more showed up at emergency rooms worried they’d permanently damaged their eyes, Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, one of the largest eye hospitals in the nation, told National Public Radio.

In most cases, they were fine. It’s harder to injure the eye than many people realize, Deobhakta said, because the human eye has evolved naturally to avoid staring at the sun, providing a certain level of protection against potential harm.

“It’s so bright that we’re not actually capable of looking at it without either tearing or sort of not really feeling comfortable staring at this ball of light,” Deobhakta said.

The main thing to keep in mind is the duration of the symptoms.

“There’s so many different things that can happen with people’s eyes,” Jacobsen told The Post. “And we can never go wrong by saying, ‘Call your eye doctor right away.’ ”