SAN DIEGO — While millions of people watched the total solar eclipse safely on Monday, some spectators may have looked up to the sky without their protective glasses.
How do I know if I damaged my eyes?
Keep in mind, that your eyes most likely won't hurt if you looked at the eclipse without protection. Why? Because the retina does not have pain nerves. However, that doesn't make it any less dangerous.
While looking up, the vast majority of spectators heeded the very well-publicized warnings to only watch the eclipse with the proper protective glasses.
Some sky watchers, though, who tried to sneak a peek without the proper protection may now be concerned about damage to their eyes: a condition known as solar retinopathy.
Symptoms
"Patients may have it without even realizing that they have an issue," said Dr. Joseph Ho, an ophthalmologist with Sharp Rees-Stealy here in San Diego.
"The symptoms can start hours or days after the exposure," he added.
Dr. Ho said that immediately after exposure, you may sometimes feel some eye discomfort or light sensitivity.
As for other symptoms that you may experience a little later, "within hours or days after exposure, the things you're looking out for for solar retinopathy include blurry vision, or distorted vision, blind spots, headaches," Dr. Ho told CBS 8.
While a very quick glance at the eclipse with no symptoms may not warrant a trip to the hospital, Dr. Ho recommends consulting a doctor if symptoms don't go away.
"If symptoms like this persist. like the blurriness or the blind spots, then absolutely you need to see an ophthalmologist," he said.
For more information on what to do if you think you may have hurt your eyes while watching the eclipse, click here.
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