Overview
- A partial solar eclipse visible across the UK on Wednesday prompted urgent warnings from eye specialists that viewing the event without certified solar filters can cause solar retinopathy.
- Intense visible, ultraviolet and infrared light can damage the macula—the part of the retina that gives central, high-detail vision—because photoreceptors there can be burned by focused sunlight.
- Symptoms are often delayed and painless, and may include blurred vision, distorted lines, a dark spot in the centre of vision, altered colour perception or strong light sensitivity.
- There is no specific medical cure for solar retinopathy, recovery varies and prolonged exposure raises the risk of permanent central vision loss; experts cite about 70 UK cases after the 1990s eclipse as precedent for post-event clinic visits.
- Optometrists advise anyone who notices visual changes after viewing the eclipse to stop testing their eyes, avoid further sun exposure and seek immediate assessment from a local optician or eye department.