Not long after Monday’s solar eclipse ended, people flocked to Google with a common question: “Why do my eyes hurt?”
It was such a popular query, in fact, that it spiked on Google’s trending list, particularly in Oklahoma, which was in the path of totality, and Michigan — the majority of which wasn’t. Searches were up in other states in the path of totality, too.
So, what’s the deal? The Cut spoke with Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Hospital, and he had some ideas.
“If you wore the glasses, there’s an extremely strong chance that everything is going to be fine,” he advises. “This is likely something similar to eyestrain … Staring at an eclipse (wearing eclipse glasses) is basically dilating your eyes and then staring at a small, faraway object for minutes at a time.” That’s like scrolling on your phone in a dark room, he explains.
“Basically, my recommendation is to relax,” the good doctor advises, saying your eyes need time to adjust. “Just be happy that you were able to see it and you did the right thing by wearing the right glasses.”
And if you didn’t wear the glasses you were supposed to? “I won’t eclipse shame, but [wearing the glasses] is really the only thing you were supposed to do,” Deobhaktaexplains. “That being said, if your eyes are hurting right now, you’re probably fine. Solar retinopathy, or damage to the retina, is not something you can feel.”
If you’re feeling pain and light sensitivity, that’s cornea irritation, and it should resolve itself, he says.
However, if you’re experiencing vision loss by now, Deobhakta says you’ll need to see a doctor.