Eye Pain or Blurry Vision After Viewing the Eclipse?
Eye Pain after eclipse viewing is usually due to Solar Keratopathy or an Iris Spasm.
Solar Keratopathy is damage to the cornea (clear front of the eye) similar to a sunburn or welding flash.
Please call if you are having symptoms of solar keratopathy:
- Pain, burning, scratchy sensation, foreign body sensation.
- Light sensitivity, unable to wear contact lenses.
- Redness, itching,
- Mildly blurred vision
- General discomfort of the eyes.
Solar keratopathy can be quite painful but usually resolves spontaneously in a few days without permanent vision loss. Lubrication eyedrops and sometimes antibiotic drops can be used for comfort and preventing infection.
Iris Spam is a spasm of the iris muscle as it attempts to keep the pupil small to block the bright light from the sun. This usually resolves within a few minutes to several hours without permanent vision loss.
Please call us if you are having any of these symptoms:
- Pain, burning, scratchy sensation, foreign body sensation.
- Light sensitivity, unable to work on the lenses, redness, itching.
- General discomfort of the eyes.
Solar Retinopathy is a painless loss of vision which occurs one to two days after viewing the sun. In most cases, it takes an unprotected viewing time of at least 10 seconds up to a minute. The severity of the damage can depend on factors such as: time of exposure, cloud cover and intensity of the sun, pupil size, and position of the sun in the sky.
Please call us if you are having any of these symptoms:
- Blurry or distorted vision
- Blind spot in center of sight
- Decrease in color vision
There is no treatment for solar retinopathy. Most cases spontaneously resolve in weeks to months or even up to year depending on severity of the case. In extreme cases, a permanent blind spot can remain in the vision.
This can be quite painful but usually results within 2 to 3 days after solar exposure. Lubrication drops and cold compresses can be helpful to ease the pain and antibiotic drops may also be used to prevent infection. Usually vision is minimally blurred with this condition.
