Woman Shares Harrowing Experience Of Permanent Eye Damage After Gazing At 2017 Eclipse For Mere Seconds

Woman Shares Harrowing Experience Of Permanent Eye Damage After Gazing At 2017 Eclipse For Mere Seconds

A woman residing in Brooklyn, New York, USA, who inadvertently glanced at the 2017 solar eclipse for 10 seconds without adequate eye protection, is now cautioning others about the enduring consequences of the “irreversible eye damage” she endured, including a blind spot in the center of her left iris.

Bridget Kyeremateng, 29, disclosed this information on Monday, April 8, just before a solar eclipse was anticipated to be partially visible in New York City.

“I couldn’t find protective glasses, so I thought a brief look wouldn’t cause harm,” Kyeremateng recounted, reflecting on the incident. She works in marketing in the bustling city.

Recalling the moment, she said, “I struggled to focus on the sun or the precise shape of the moon. Hoping for a clearer view, I shut one eye momentarily. Although my vision was hazy, I stared at the sun for about 10 to 15 seconds before feeling discomfort and deciding to go indoors.”

Kyeremateng felt fine for the remainder of the day but woke up the next morning unable to discern the text on her phone screen with her left eye, the same eye she had exposed to the eclipse.

“I couldn’t read properly because there was a blind spot at the center of my iris. Every other word seemed invisible,” she lamented.

Kyeremateng expressed her distress when she realized she could barely perceive anything apart from “floating white dots” when looking out of her left eye.

“I questioned my wakefulness, assuming I wasn’t fully conscious,” she said. “Testing it out by covering my right eye, I noticed these glaring white dots distorting my vision.”

Without delay, Kyeremateng sought medical attention, where she was relieved to find out that her retina remained intact but acknowledged some vision distortion due to sun damage.

“The doctor referred to it as ‘slow 20/20 vision,’ explaining the distortion resulting from sun exposure,” Kyeremateng elaborated.

The solar eclipse occurred on Monday, April 8, affecting over 180 million individuals along its trajectory. It traversed from Mexico’s Pacific Coast across North America, touching 15 US states before reaching the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

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