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A solar eclipse that occurred on Monday in the Far East has led to 16 people in Japan visiting opticians clinics. Of the 16, from six prefectures, four were patients aged between 4 and 8, and the eldest was an 80-year-old woman, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society said.
The reason? They did not take precautions and failed to use protective eye wear and instead looked at the sun with their naked eyes! The development of solar retinopathy was suspected, but luckily it was reported that the symptoms did not appear to be very serious. An annular solar eclipse was visible in eastern to southwestern Japan while the rest of the country experienced a partial eclipse. The first ever large scale survey on Solar Retinopathy is being conducted nationwide in Japan and over 14000 opticians and eye experts are assisting in the study.
Solar Retinopathy is the name given to eye damage caused by looking directly at the sun. The last full eclipse experienced in the UK was that of 11 of August 1999 which put the whole of the country at risk of eye damage due to the temptation for people to stare at the sun.
Solar retinopathy occurs when harmful radiation from the sun reaches the eye and is concentrated onto the retina via the lens. This destroys the cells that enable you to see by burning the retina. You will not feel any pain while the damage is being caused as there are no pain-sensing nerves in the retina. After the experience however, you are likely to be effected by any of the following;
- your eyes water or feel sore
- you cant make out shape or direction of items
- light sensitivity
- a central vision blind spot
- things may appear to be unusually coloured
- objects may be distorted
As the sun has decided to make a showing today and is set to remain for (hopefully) the remainder of this week, it is as important to wear protective glass lenses and never look at it directly. We don't need an astral phenomena to still be cautious and stay safe.