After Monday’s total solar eclipse passed through parts of Mexico, the US, and Canada, many folks turned to the internet to ask why their eyes hurt after viewing the rare celestial phenomenon.
Google Trends saw a spike in people in Canada searching “my eyes hurt,” “why do my eyes hurt,” and “eyes hurt after eclipse” at around noon PST and 5 pm PST, which coincided with times during and after the eclipse.
Google Trends/Screenshot
Those viewing the total solar eclipse needed to wear certified light-filtering eye protection to prevent optical damage.
“The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or handheld solar viewers,” states the American Astronomical Society on its website.
“Ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun; they transmit far more sunlight than is safe for our eyes.”
Ahead of Monday’s celestial event, the price of NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses on Amazon Canada saw a dramatic increase as folks hurried to secure a safe way to view the eclipse.
Unfortunately, it seems some watchers didn’t get the memo about eclipse safety, prompting them to ask the internet why their eyes were hurting, while others took to social media to react to the spike in eye-related search terms.
Humans.
Sigh. pic.twitter.com/VfLitxXbCb
— Timothy Caulfield (@CaulfieldTim) April 9, 2024
Optometrists right now… pic.twitter.com/9kkauoYtpy
— Douglas A. Boneparth (@dougboneparth) April 8, 2024
Google searches for “eyes hurt” spike after eclipse, and occur most in the states the eclipse passed over. pic.twitter.com/JSluiUGlu5
— James Jansson (@jamesjansson) April 9, 2024
After the 2017 eclipse, google measured a spike in the search term, “my eyes hurt.”
I guess it’s only gonna be worse this year. Lord have mercy.
— Ray Jensen (@Pastor_RayJ) April 9, 2024
nawwww why have searches for “why do my eyes hurt” literally spiked since the eclipse yesterday 😭😂 pic.twitter.com/RDW0fjHbpi
— Josh (@joshthenormal) April 9, 2024
Those who failed to heed the warnings of experts could be looking (figuratively) at serious long-term damage to their corneas, including permanent spotting on vision similar to the short-term after-effects of looking at a bright light.
For Canadians who didn’t get a good view of this total solar eclipse, there will be another in 2044, and some places in BC and Alberta will be the best places to view it — just remember to wear your eclipse glasses.
With files from Imaan Sheik and blogTO’s Jack Landau