An eye surgeon has indicated that hospitals received fewer patients seeking treatment for eye damage after the recent significant solar eclipse in the UK than they did following the last total solar eclipse in 1999. Millions in the UK observed the recent event, where the Moon covered over 90% of the Sun.
Alexander Ionides, an eye surgeon at Moorfield Eye Hospital, told the BBC that in 1999, hospitals were "inundated" with concerned patients. He suggested that public awareness campaigns and warnings about the dangers of looking directly at the sun without proper eye protection may have been more effective this time. "It seemed warnings about looking directly at the sun with the naked eye were 'getting through'," he stated.
Symptoms of solar retinopathy, or eye damage from viewing an eclipse, can include the appearance of a spot in the center of vision that may seem gray or yellow. These symptoms can manifest within hours of exposure, but in some cases, may take several days to develop.