Four issues you must do instantly for those who by chance seemed on the photo voltaic eclipse

Looking directly at a solar eclipse can cause permanent retinal damage, so its important to take any new symptoms seriously and follow expert advice if you are worried

While hopefully for most people the eclipse was a safe and fun experience, some viewers may be left with sore eyes if they accidentally caught a glimpse. If you do notice symptoms lasting beyond the viewing period, experts recommend taking them seriously, as looking at an eclipse can cause serious retinal damage.

1. Look away now:

It may sound silly, but if people are still looking at the eclipse after feeling side-effects, they should stop immediately, even if the feelings of blurriness and dizziness begin to subside.

Often, when people are worried about their eyes being hurt, they ‘test’ their vision by re-looking at the source of the damage. This is far from ideal.

Dr Nita Bowden, who specialises in eye health at the University of Texas first and wrote a guide for how to watch an eclipse safely, says you should “immediately shift your gaze to a safe viewing area” and “Damage from the solar eclipse could happen to the retina in seconds”.

2. Test each eye separately:

Once you are safely away from the sun, the next thing to do is check the vision in each eye by covering them one at a time, before looking at some text or images of straight lines. If you experience long-lasting blurring, distortion or a dark patch, this may help alleviate the symptoms.

Dr Bowden says: “Evaluate each eye separately by closing one and then the other, ensuring both maintain clear and normal vision. Examine your visual field for any black spots by looking at a white background.”

If these symptoms do last longer than a couple of hours, or become painful or worrying in anyway, further medical assistance may be required.

Dr Alex Ionides from NHS’s Moorfields Eye Hospital says that “symptoms can include blurred vision, distorted vision, reduced colour perception, difficulty reading, or a dark spot in the centre of vision”, adding that “in some cases, the effects improve over time, but permanent vision loss can occur in some cases.”

3. Continue monitoring your sight:

Retina damage can be entirely painless and does not always show up immediately. Therefore it’s important to keep an eye (literally) on any strangeness or changing in your vision.

According to Moorfields Eye Hospital: “Solar retinopathy can develop after only a short period of exposure. The damage may not be painful, so people often do not realise there is a problem until hours later.”

So while the first few minutes are maybe the most important, if you notice any new symptoms in the 12 to 24 hour period after viewing the eclipse, it may be worth seeking assistance.

4. Seek urgent professional help if anything changes:

Contact an optometrist, ophthalmologist, GP or NHS 111 if you notice any change. Go to A&E or seek emergency help for sudden or serious sight loss.

Moorfields Eye Hospital say: “If someone has looked at the sun and subsequently develops any of the following symptoms, they should seek urgent medical attention if:

• Eye pain
• Redness
• Grittiness or irritation
• Blurred vision
• Distorted vision
• New dark spots in your vision
• Sudden changes in sight

“Prompt assessment can help identify the cause of your symptoms and ensure appropriate treatment or monitoring.”

For NHS Moorfields full advice you can read here: