Headache after the eclipse? Here’s what you need to know

Did your total solar eclipse glasses accidentally fall off Monday? Did you accidentally glance at the sun?

You’re probably going to be fine.

Unless you were staring directly at the sun for more than a split second, Dr. Denise Gallagher, ophthalmologist and retina specialist at the UPMC Vision Institute, said you shouldn’t worry.

In fact, the same amount of risk is involved any time someone stares at the sun for too long, she said, not just in the case of an eclipse.

“Either way, the damage is the same,” Gallagher said. “The eclipse doesn’t do anything special to the sun’s rays — this kind of damage can be done any day by looking at the sun.”

Following the total solar eclipse on Monday, many people across the country reported headaches, as well as dryness and soreness of the eyes.

This is normal, according to Gallagher, who even said her neck hurt from looking up at the eclipse afterward.

Soreness and dryness of the eyes can come from staring at anything, she said, even reading a book.

“Even if you’re wearing eye protection, and you’re trying to watch something, you may not blink your eyes as much,” she said, which can lead to dryness.

Most people that suffered headaches probably experienced regular eye strain, Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, told Time magazine.

“It’s very similar to when people stare at a screen for a long time in the dark,” he said.

For some people, bright lights can trigger headaches, Gallager said.

If you did happen to look directly at the sun for more than a split second, a blind or blurry spot could appear in one’s vision up to 12 hours after the initial exposure to the sun, according to Gallagher. Another symptom that could show up is distortion, she said.

“People would notice something either right after or within a couple of hours,” she said. “It would just be a spot in the vision close to the center (of your eye).”

Gallagher said the blind or blurry spot can show up at the center of a person’s vision or adjacent to it, and the spot would persist.

People with a blind or blurry spot or distortion have what’s called solar retinopathy, which means a burn on the retina and damage from staring at the sun, Gallagher said.

“I would say that maybe in my career I’ve seen only one or two people that actually had … solar retinopathy,” she said. “Both situations … they just had a little blurry spot — their vision actually wasn’t quite bad.”

However, there are other eye problems that can cause the exact same symptoms, she said, so it’s important to get your eyes checked if you have them.

“It’s not the kind of thing where you would have it and not realize it — there would be some symptoms involved,” she said.

Recovery process

Over time, there can be some improvement for people with solar retinopathy, Gallagher said.

“But, there usually is a permanent defect depending on how significant the damage is,” she said. “Depending on how bad it is, some people do recover.”

People won’t go completely blind in any case, according to Gallagher.

Gallagher said symptoms didn’t seem to interfere a lot with daily lives in two people she treated.

“They were very functional,” she said.

If you believe your eyes were impacted by the total solar eclipse and you are exhibiting symptoms, Gallagher said the best course of action would be to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor to get checked out.