People were left starstruck as parts of North America were plunged into darkness after witnessing a total solar eclipse on April 8.
Millions of spectators across the US, Mexico, and Canada gathered to watch the spectacular event, with the path of totality crossing over approximately 44 million people.
People headed out in their numbers to watch the event - with proper eye protection, as that's extremely important - gathering in massive venues and fields to make sure they could catch this once-in-a-lifetime celestial phenomenon.
However, not everyone was as prepared as they should have been.
Google searches of people wondering why their eyes were hurting after witnessing the eclipse spiked suddenly after Monday's event with many asking: "Why do my eyes hurt?", "Why do my eyes hurt after looking at the eclipse?", and "I looked at the eclipse and my eyes hurt."
Gathering all the information, here's a run-down on how to tell if your eyes are damaged due to the eclipse and when you should seek medical help immediately.
Speaking to CNN, Dr. Yehia Hashad, an ophthalmologist, retinal specialist, and the chief medical officer at eye health company Bausch + Lomb outlined some of the symptoms that come with eye damage.
Alarming signals include headaches, blurred vision, scotomas AKA dark spots, color changes in normal vision, and distorted lines.
"This could be happening unilateral or bilateral," Hashad said. "So it doesn't necessarily happen in both eyes. It could be affecting one over the other or both eyes together."
But the worst part is that it may not happen immediately, so you might not be able to tell that anything's wrong until things have gotten worse.
Dr. Jason P. Brinton, an ophthalmologist and medical director at Brinton Vision in St. Louis, also told the outlet that while some will regain normal visual function, sometimes the damage is permanent.
"Often there will be some recovery of the vision in the first few months after it, but sometimes there is no recovery and sometimes there's a degree to which it is permanent," Brinton said.
He also added that the sun can also damage the cornea, which can be a pretty painful experience.
"...Retinal issues... are painless and can have permanent, lasting effects on vision," he said.
But why do people do this, despite the dangers?
Brinton thinks it may be due to psychological associations.
"Everyone knows don't look at the sun. If you go out on a bright day and try to look at the sun - it's very uncomfortable, very bright. So most people intuitively associate that with something they should not be doing," Brinton explained. "But with the eclipse, so much of that is blocked and so that natural sense of discomfort and aversion to the brightness is not there."
If you need more information or are worried by any unusual symptoms, please seek medical help from an eye care professional.
