Searches for 'my eyes hurt' are up 1,500% in the United Kingdom over the past 24 hours and are even higher in parts of the world which experienced a total solar eclipse13:54, 13 Aug 2026Updated 14:26, 13 Aug 2026Doctors are sounding the alarm over the key signs of eye damage after last night's dazzling eclipse.‌Eager sky-gazers hoping to catch a glimpse of the cosmic display were warned yesterday not to stare directly at the sun without special glasses or face lifelong damage to their eyesight - including permanent vision loss.‌Inevitably, not everyone followed the advice - and health experts have urged anyone experiencing sudden changes to their vision - such as blurred vision, watering eyes, and headaches - to seek medical attention as soon as possible.‌In 1999, when Britain experienced a full solar eclipse, Moorfields Eye Hospital in London received 1,600 calls to its dedicated eclipse helpline.Within the first hour, over 100 people called the helpline complaining of eye problems - with the switchboards remaining busy over the next 24 hours‌Moorfields also treated 220 people in its emergency department for suspected eclipse-related eye issues.Google searches for eye pain up 1,500%Internet searches for eye pain have meanwhile rocketed in Britain and across the world in the wake of the glimpseGoogle search trends suggest that at least a small number gave in to temptation and looked at the sun directly, with entries for 'my eyes hurt' from UK users up 1,500% on Thursday evening compared to the day before.‌In Spain, where the sky briefly went black during a total eclipse, searches for 'me duelen los ojos' soared by 5000%.One Twitter user wrote in the aftermath: "Looked at it for literally a sec and now my eyes hurt"‌And another worried social media user penned: "Glad we're all feeling like this, i've got a minor headache and its enough to turn me to prayer".Someone else said: "Guys I looked straight into the solar eclipse and I can physically feel the eye damage - my head hurts so bad and my vision’s so blurry."One TikTok user said: "I stared at it. My eyes are killing me. It's a feeling I've not felt before and I think I'm going to go blind."‌Others complained of headaches and blurred vision.Warning signs of eye damageAlex Ionides, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the NHS Moorfields Eye Hospital and Moorfields Private, said you should seek urgent medical attention if you develop any of the following symptoms after looking directly at the sun:Eye painRednessGrittiness or irritationBlurred visionDistorted visionNew dark spots in your visionSudden changes in sight‌He explained: "One of the most common misconceptions is that a partial eclipse makes it safe to look at the sun. In reality, even during an eclipse, the sun remains bright enough to damage the delicate tissues of the eye."The retina is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that allows us to see. When you look directly at the sun, the bright light and ultraviolet radiation can damage retinal cells. This condition is known as solar retinopathy."Solar retinopathy can develop after only a short period of exposure. The damage may not be painful, so people often do not realise there is a problem until hours later.‌"Symptoms can include blurred vision, distorted vision, reduced colour perception, difficulty reading, or a dark spot in the centre of vision. In some cases, the effects improve over time, but permanent vision loss can occur in some cases."What if my eyes hurt even after using eclipse glasses?Some people have reported feeling eye strain or headaches even after having used ISSO 12312-2 certified glasses to observe the eclipse - though experts say this is completely normal, and does not mean you have retinal damage.Article continues belowThis is a similar phenomenon to what people experience when they spend extended periods staring at a screen, and any residual pain should go away after a few hours.