Eye Clinics See More Visits After Solar Eclipse, But Few Serious Cases
Eye emergency rooms in Spain saw an increase in visits after a recent solar eclipse. Doctors reported more patients, but said that very few of the cases were serious.
More than 400 people were treated in twelve regions of Spain. Most of these patients had some type of ocular damage, which means harm to the eyes.
Despite the rise in visits, doctors say serious cases have been rare. One expert explained that eclipse-related eye damage often does not cause pain or irritation. This makes the damage harder for patients to notice at first.
According to the expert, people should be especially careful about one symptom: loss of vision. Any other symptom, they said, is unlikely to be linked to the eclipse. Vision loss is considered the clearest indicator of real eye damage caused by looking at the sun.
Health authorities are using this event to remind the public about eclipse safety. Watching an eclipse without proper eye protection can seriously harm the retina, the part of the eye that senses light. Because this damage may not hurt, people might not know they have been affected until later.
Doctors are asking anyone who watched the eclipse and later notices changes in their vision to see a specialist quickly, even if they feel no pain.
Vocabulary8 words
- emergency room
- a hospital place for urgent health problems
- solar eclipse
- when the moon covers the sun in the sky
- regions
- large areas or parts of a country
- ocular damage
- harm to the eyes
- irritation
- an uncomfortable feeling in a part of the body
- symptom
- a sign that shows something is wrong with health
- indicator
- something that shows or proves a fact
- retina
- the part inside the eye that sees light
Quiz
Answer key
1. An increase in patient visits 2. Loss of vision 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Eye emergency rooms in Spain saw an increase in visits after a recent solar _____.
More than _____ people were treated in twelve _____ of Spain.
Most of these patients had some type of ocular _____, which means harm to the eyes.
One expert explained that eclipse-related eye damage often does not cause pain or _____.
According to the expert, people should be especially careful about one _____: loss of vision.
Vision loss is considered the clearest _____ of real eye damage caused by looking at the sun.
Watching an eclipse without proper eye protection can seriously harm the _____, the part of the eye that senses light.
Doctors are asking anyone who watched the eclipse and later notices changes in their vision to see a specialist quickly, even if they feel no _____.