When the moon decided to play peekaboo with the sun, over 31 million people turned their gazes skyward to witness the solar eclipse, a celestial ballet that danced across the skies of the US, Mexico, and Canada. But amidst the oohs and aahs, a curious phenomenon unfolded not in the heavens but on the digital plains of Google. The search term “my eyes hurt” saw a spike that might just rival the eclipse’s viewership numbers.
Experts, donning their metaphorical neon warning signs, had cautioned that gazing at the sun without proper eye gear during an eclipse is akin to staring at a microwave with the door open — not advisable. Solar eclipse glasses were the day’s hottest accessory, supposedly 100,000 times darker than your average Ray-Bans, designed to protect those precious peepers from the sun’s overwhelming charisma.
Yet, in the aftermath of the eclipse, Google searches painted a picture of collective amnesia about these warnings. Queries like “my eyes hurt after looking at the eclipse” and “why do my eyes hurt after looking at the eclipse” surged, suggesting that perhaps not everyone got the memo about the essential eclipse fashion accessory: the solar glasses.
It’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as the 1999 eclipse in the UK, where a post-eclipse frenzy saw thousands seeking medical advice for eye issues, a condition known as solar retinopathy. Picture this: a person, post-eclipse, squinting at their computer, typing “why does my vision have its own eclipse now?” into Google.
This recent spike in eye-related inquiries post-eclipse serves as a reminder that while the cosmos offers a show worth watching, it doesn’t cater to the well-being of human eyeballs. For those who skipped the safety gear, the eclipse was a double feature: first, the awe-inspiring celestial event, followed by the not-so-thrilling discovery of what happens when you disregard expert advice.
So, as the dust settles and the moon and sun resume their usual dance, let’s hope the “my eyes hurt” Googlers find relief soon. And let this be a lesson for the next eclipse: when the cosmos puts on a show, make sure you’re dressed for the occasion — and in this case, that means sporting those ultra-stylish, super-dark, absolutely essential solar eclipse glasses.
