DUMB ECLIPSE-WATCHERS OF THE WEEK
by Hazed
I hope all my American readers got a good view of last week’s eclipse, whether you were lucky enough to live (or travel to) somewhere on the path of the totality, or just saw a partial eclipse.
I hope you remembered not to look at the sun directly, not without some form of protection. By which I mean, eclipse-proof glasses that block out the harmful light allowing you to stare at the sun without damaging your eyes.
I do not mean the solution favoured by some of the dumber eclipse-viewers: smearing sunscreen on your eyeballs.
Yes, it seems some people really were stupid enough to do this. A medical professional said that she and her colleagues had seen a few patients who had experienced pain following the eclipse, not from looking directly at the sun, but from putting sunblock in their eyes.
“One of my colleagues at moonlight here stated yesterday that they had patients presenting at their clinic that put sunscreen on their eyeball, and presented that they were having pain and they were referred to an ophthalmologist,” said Nurse practitioner Trish Patterson.
Do I have to tell you that this is a really bad idea? The National Capital Poison Center says that sunscreen getting in your eyes can cause pain and irritation. It should be dealt with by rinsing the eyes with running water.
Normally it happens by accident when applying the cream to your face. Who thought anyone would be so stupid that they deliberately put it onto their eyes!
