Over the past week leading up to the eclipse, the demand for proper eye protection was huge. Many people did not get the right eye protection. Others thought that stealing quick glances at the sun would have no impact on their eyes. If your eyes have felt funny since the Eclipse, there are specific signs that they may be damaged.
Knowing the symptoms of eye damage
Over the course of the past several weeks, there were several warnings released about the dangers of staring directly at the eclipse. For those who couldn't get proper eye protection in time, the idea was suggested to use a front facing camera pointed towards the sun while the viewer faced away from the sun.
If you watched the eclipse by camera display or on a Smartphone and weren't directly staring at the eclipse, you should be fine. If you glanced at the eclipse for less than a second without proper eyewear, the chance of eye Damage is very low.
If you felt that your eyes felt different after using certified protective eye gear, there is no reason to worry. The filtered glasses only stimulate one set of color-sensitive receptors. You may see spots similar to those you see after watching a camera flash or after staring at the sun, but your vision is fine. Your eyes just need time to readjust.
Symptoms of eye damage generally do not start to show up until 12 hours after the damage has occurred. The biggest indicator of eye damage is a change in vision.
Many people who have damaged their eyes experience blurred vision, or multiple blurry spots in their vision. Some are recognized as spots right in the middle of their vision, which creates almost a hole in their vision. There could be some clear spots around the blurs. Overall, the kind of damage to the back of the eye will create different blurred-vision symptoms.
Depending on the extent of the damage, it is possible that this kind of vision loss can be healed in several months to a year, but the damage is more than likely permanent.
What to do if your eyes were damaged
If you are showing symptoms of eye damage, the best thing to do is see an optometrist. The optometrist can determine if there was damage to your eyes and refer you to an ophthalmologist, a specialist who focuses on medical and surgical eye problems.
It is much easier to see your optometrist first before trying to see an ophthalmologist.
If you do have damage to your eyes, staying indoors and wearing sunglasses will not heal the damage. However, those are both good ways to make you more comfortable as you recover from the eye damage.
