Solar eclipse was scorched on woman’s retina after she stared at sun for too long

Remember how eye doctors were warning people not to stare at the solar eclipse in August without proper protection?

They were right.

A woman in her 20s gazed at the eclipse without any protection for 6 seconds, then again for up to 20 seconds while wearing dark glasses that apparently were not strong enough, according to a report in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

The alarming result: an eclipse-shaped spot was burned onto the retina of her left eye.

Advanced retina scans, performed at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, revealed damage in the shape of the sun with the silhouette of the moon crossing its outer edge, study authors said. The woman described a corresponding “hole” in the centre of her vision, sketching a similar shape that looked like a cookie with a bite out of it.

Her right eye was less severely damaged, her doctor said, because the left is her dominant eye.