Weather and Health
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Solar Maculopathy
This happens so often that a common name for the injury is eclipse burn. Eclipses aren’t the only opportunities for those seconds of folly. People with temporary mental disorders, as during drug and alcohol abuse, or with psychiatric problems, may lose the common sense to avoid sun gazing.
In extreme cases, the bundled light permanently destroys the delicate light-
Solar maculopathy is sometimes called solar retinopathy because it often affects
the peripheral vision as well. It doesn’t warn you of the damage, as the retina has
no pain-
Temporary or permanent loss of central or peripheral vision
Distorted or blurred vision
Dark patches in the field of vision
Unusual colours
Light sensitivity
Sore eyes.
The lens of your eye is no different to a magnifying glass that bundles the sun’s rays and sets a piece of paper alight. In the case of the eye, only around 20 seconds of sun gazing is enough to burn the back of your eyeball, the macula. The time is even shorter if you are foolish enough to look at the sun with binoculars or a telescope.
Millions of people, however, are so foolhardy during solar eclipses when they stare at the phenomenon without proper eye protection – and many get hurt.
Even the rays of a partially eclipsed sun are strong enough to inflict permanent damage.
solar retinopathy, photoretinitis or photoretinopathy
