Eye damage fears take the shine off solar eclipse sensation

Friday’s solar eclipse was a sight for sore eyes for some unlucky sky-watchers.

Despite dire warnings not to look directly at the sun, it seems many folk had a burning ambition to see what was going on in the heavens.

Now scores of over-enthusiastic sun-gazers have had to seek medical help.

Experts repeatedly told the public not to watch the eclipse without special glasses as it could cause serious damage.

But opticians and hospitals have seen starry-eyed punters pouring through their doors terrified their sight might be permanently affected.

One of the worst affected areas was north-east Scotland where almost 30 people had to seek medical attention at opticians.

But hospitals south of the Border have also treated worried patients who had the shine taken off the celestial experience by giving in to temptation to have a peek.

There had been criticism in the run-up to last week’s eclipse of a shortage of protective specs, which may have driven more people to risk their sight.

Stephen Hannan, director of clinical services at Optical Express, said: “A solar eclipse is an extraordinary sight, but looking at the sun directly for even a few seconds is incredibly dangerous.

“One of the biggest dangers people faced on Friday was taking photographs and looking through the lens of their camera or device while trying to get the perfect shot.

“If anyone has any doubt at all that they may have damaged their eyesight, they should get it looked at immediately.”

Staff in branches of Vision Express in Aberdeen revealed they had been inundated with concerned members of the public.

Other companies in the Grampian region also said they had been visited by people suffering watery eyes but it understood nobody went to hospital in Scotland.

Meanwhile, south of the Border, the Midlands saw some of the clearest conditions on Friday morning, which led to a stream of people worried about eye damage.

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust received six calls for advice and two people attended its hospitals, but a spokesperson said they had not suffered serious damage.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust also received one patient who was later discharged.

Anecdotal accounts suggest many people viewed the eclipse without protection because they believed heavy cloud would protect them, leaving them vulnerable to breaks in the cloud.

Cafe worker Rhona MacWilliams, 34, watched the eclipse in Rouken Glen park in East Renfrewshire and now has had a splitting headache since and blurry vision.

“I feel a bit of a numptie,” she said. “After all the warnings, I still looked.

If you fear you have been affected call NHS 24 on 111.