Do your eyes hurt after the solar eclipse?

So you looked directly at the sun while trying to watch the solar eclipse. Maybe you didn’t read the warnings or couldn’t get your hands on a pair of eclipse glasses. Or maybe you did have them but couldn’t resist, just for a few seconds, staring straight at the sun with your naked eyes, experts be darned.

Did you cause damage to your eyes? It’s hard to tell immediately, experts say.

The moon beginning to cross the sun. At this point of a total eclipse, certified     eclipse glasses are to be worn for retinal protection.

“Short-term issues can include solar keratitis, which is similar to sunburn of the cornea (the front part of the eye),” UnitedHealthcare Vision chief executive Linda Chous told NBC News. “This can cause eye pain and light sensitivity, with symptoms often occurring within 24 hours after exposure.”

Trickier to detect right away is any long-term damage to the retina in the back of the eye.

~ Read more in today’s Journal ~