No hospital admissions reported in Ottawa for eclipse-related eye injuries

Dr. Yi Ning Strube, a pediatric ophthalmologist with the Kingston Health Sciences Centre, explains the proper way to use eclipse glasses. (Jack Richardson/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) say they have reported no emergency room admissions related to eye damage after Monday's solar eclipse.

Health experts had been warning in the days leading up to the celestial event that looking directly at the sun without proper eye protection could result in serious and potentially permanent eye damage.

Ottawa Public Health warned last week that solar retinopathy, retinal burns and eclipse blindness damage can happen without any sensation of pain. In addition, the health unit had been reminding people with children to keep an eye on them while using solar filters.

As a precaution, public schools across the region rescheduled their Professional Activity (PA) days or decided close schools altogether to keep students safe.

There had also been several reports saying solar eclipse glasses sold by some of Amazon’s private sellers do not provide the necessary protection. An eclipse can only be viewed with the International Organization for Standardization’s certified glasses, labelled ISO-12312-2.

Symptoms of eye damage can take 12 to 48 hours to appear and may include temporary vision loss, blurred vision or loss of sight.

Health experts say anyone experiencing blindness after looking at the eclipse should seek medical attention immediately.