Look, a solar eclipse! Hey.. what’s happening to my eyes?! : The Extreme Consequences of Looking Directly At a Solar Eclipse

Sophia Kaba
Aug 20
3 min read

What exactly is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is the positioning of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. The Moon, which is in the middle of both the Sun and Earth, casts a shadow on our planet. This shadow has an inner and outer part.

If you are inside the dark outer part of that shadow you will see a total eclipse, However if you are inside the light inner part of that shadow, you will see a partial eclipse.

In the event that the moon is far from Earth or if the Earth is close to the sun, an annular eclipse will occur. During an annular eclipse a loop of light surrounds the Moon’s disk.

What types of Solar Eclipses are safe to look at?

There are many different types of eclipses, the main three being Total, Partial, and Annular. Another type of eclipse that occurs is called a hybrid eclipse. This eclipse, like the total one, also has a period where the moon covers the sun fully and is safe to view but hybrid eclipses happen rarely compared to the other three.

Except in the brief phase of a hybrid or total eclipse where there is a period in time where the moon fully covers the sun, it is completely unsafe to view a total solar eclipse without specialized eye protection made specifically for the event.

This means that since there is no moment of totality where the moon fully covers the sun during a partial or annular eclipse you are never able to view it without special eye protection.

What keeps us safe during an eclipse?

Because of the risks associated with Solar Eclipse’s, there are many safety measures that are required and necessary for you to enjoy the eclipse safely like,

Using certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or any indirect projection methods like a pinhole projector
Using a SPF of 30 or higher sunscreen while being exposed to harmful ultraviolet rays
Drinking water to avoid heat exhaustion while out in the sun

What consequences occur when looking directly at a solar eclipse?

When you look at a solar eclipse in any phase that’s not 100% totality without protective eye wear can cause solar retinopathy, a condition where the intense light from the eclipse burns retinal cells.

The first thing that happens is, the light hits straight to the middle part of your retina called your macula, which is full of light sensitive cells. This light is so strong it cooks the cells and this causes a chemical reaction that damages or destroys them.

During this, there is no pain whatsoever. The back of your eye, where this is happening, has no pain receptors. For that reason, you might keep looking not knowing that it is doing serious damage.

Directly after looking at the eclipse, your eyes might feel watery or very sensitive to light. You might even see a bright spot in the middle of your vision similar to a camera flash.

Within twelve hours the cooked cells die off leaving a permanent blind spot or blurry patch in your vision.

Is there any way to fix it?

Life after experiencing an accident like this can be hard and difficult. Not being able to read or do stuff like you used to is not easy. While there is no way to return your vision to what it used to be, there are certain things that may help.

After a visit to an optometrist or an ophthalmologist for a specialized scan to measure the exact layer and depth of retinal damage, they might suggest rest, limiting bright light exposure, or wearing UV-blocking sunglasses outdoors to comfort the eye during recovery.

However, mild damage does improve naturally on its own after 3 to six months, and an eye specialist can help manage and improve your eyesight from there.