Eye injuries and car crashes: Some risks that go up during an eclipse and how to prevent harm – CBC

Traffic incidents rose during 2017 eclipse, but in the hours after on the drives home

Apr 05, 2024

The messaging from health officials has been consistent: Don’t look at the sun without proper eye protection, even during an eclipse.

However, Dr. Enitan Sogbesan said he’s still expecting patients to come in with eye injuries following the total solar eclipse on Monday.

“There are people who, no matter what you say to them, they will want to try out such a thing,” said Sogbesan, an ophthalmologist who works at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Regional Eye Institute.

Sustained or high-intensity light exposure from the eclipse would “lead to permanent damage to the retina,” Dr. Amber Sheikh, Niagara Health’s head of service for ophthalmology, said in an email.

Also called solar retinopathy, the condition is permanent, she said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/eclipse-injuries-1.7163344