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74 people visit eye clinics after observing eclipse

36 Comments

At least 74 people sought help for eye problems at eye clinics in 18 prefectures across Japan after observing the annular solar eclipse on Monday, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society reported on its website Tuesday.

Doctors and education officials had warned of eye injuries from improper viewing beforehand. Education Minister Hirofumi Hirano demonstrated the use of eclipse glasses in a televised news conference on the weekend.

The society said most of the complaints were solar retinopathy due to not properly using special protective glasses. Of the 74, 16 were children younger than 12.

© Japan Today

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36 Comments
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Doctor I do not know why my eyes hurt, all I did was look at the sun for 15 minutes. Oh, and I don't know why but I feel a little dizzy from putting a paperclip in an electric socket as well.

6 ( +6 / -1 )

Even with glasses, I'd refrain from staring too much.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The glasses were sold out everywhere apparently. And the clouds made it seem dimmer than it was, which explains why many might have thought it was ok.

4 ( +3 / -0 )

And no doubt thousands more who haven't realised that there is something wrong with their eyes yet.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Idiots..... Thats about as much as I'm willing to say about them.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well, even the police on the news were staring at it for the whole time the camera was on them showing huge crowds looking up with no protection. I thought Japanese were smarter.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Perhaps 40 years of education neglected to warn of the negative results of looking at the sun for more than a second. Or...they have neglected to listen to such advice...?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

16 were children younger than 12

16 too many.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

people just dont follow protocols.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

74 only? might be the tip of the iceberg.

These are the people that have reported to eye clinics, ONLY. Hundreds probably have eye problems from staring at the eclipse, but haven't done anything about it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I thought a pin hole in a piece of cardboard would be enough, but it only took a split second of doing that to realize it was still too bright.

You mean you were actually looking through the pinhole? The thing is to hold the cardboard up so that the sun shines through it, and look at the image projected through the pinhole onto a light-coloured wall, piece of paper, etc. - like the old-fashioned pinhole camera. So you're looking down, not up. We got some very clear, crisp images.

1 ( +4 / -2 )

Actually it was 174, but 100 got lost on the way to the clinic trying to follow the map.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Uh-oh ! I sense a 'Day of the Triffids' scenario in the making.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Its called the old ''camera oscura" method from the middle ages, using a pinhole in a darkened enclosure and looking at the obverse image reflected on the opposite wall or viewing screen. People used that system to drawn and trace images of lovely vistas. Its the safest way to view an eclipse as well. Silly people, I've known this since I wuz a kid!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

valued_customer, you are so funny.

I am surprised none of the JT posters has claimed to be one of the 74, since in the eclipse article a lot of people mentioned they had no problem seeing the eclipse directly without the special glasses because it was cloudy...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Idiots, Darwins theory at work again!

Do not look directly at the event If you do please don't breed... Ah no problem there.
0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'll wait till this moderator goes home!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I didn't think that there were that many stupid people given the warnings, but when I came into work today a handful of people were complaining about their eyes hurting from looking directly. Don't feel sorry for them at all. The glasses only cost a couple hundred yen.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

74 only? might be the tip of the iceberg.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Even children should have enough common sense to realise that looking at the sun endangers your eyesight. It's not as if they have never seen the sun before.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

No big surprise though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My question to these people is: do you normally just stare at the sun (even with special glasses)? Then why would you here? Even with the supposedly safe glasses I wouldn't stare for very long, if at all. Seems a little more common sense would benefit these people. I hope they all come out okay, and learn from it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Eye clinics report the numbers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thanks Cleo, I had no idea what valued_customer was talking about until you suggested that he was looking at the sun through the pin hole.

I suggest that next time you do a tiny bit more research (VC). The internet has a whole lot of free and useful information.

I remember making a pin-hole camera when I was a kid to view my first eclipse. Very cool.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sing it! Sunny, thank you for the burn hole in the back of my eye.... Sunny, thank you for the six hours of lost wages.... Sunny, one so INTENSE, I love you...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I remember when I was a kid using a pin hole sheet in class and seeing an eclipse that way. Humanity has always made a tool for the job when health is at risk

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ah! But was it worth it??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I suggest that next time you do a tiny bit more research (VC). The internet has a whole lot of free and useful information.

Cleo and jonobugs, I was totally not expecting to be nailed by the pinhole police!

Actually, just because I used the pinhole in a way you two did not consider, does not make me ignorant or incorrect. In fact, I also used that method too (combined with a magnifying glass), because if you just use a magnifying glass, you burn the paper you project the image on, but you get a bigger image with the magnifying glass.

Congratulations on both of you being good repositories of information! Nice to meet you! I am one of the type of guys who creates the information you like to reposit. Yes indeed, there is more than one way to use a hole created by a pin into a sheet of cardboard! I got a much better view of the eclipse using my 5 sunglass lenses peering directly though the pinhole than I did focusing the pinhole light on paper or even using binoculars to focus light on paper. My left eye was warming the bench, but my right eye is doing just fine thanks.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

intersting, the article in today's Japan times, says only 16. ( can't find it on their website)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

74?

How do they know the exact figure?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Perhaps next time each article on the eclipse will have an accompanying one on how the eyes will be damaged without protection.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

nailed by the pinhole police!

tee hee

I used the pinhole in a way you two did not consider

I considered it, reflected that actually focussing the sunlight in a narrow beam right down into my eye didn't seem to be such a good idea, so didn't do it.

Glad to hear it worked out for you, and that you still have one eye left.

I am one of the type of guys who creates the information you like to reposit

You created the pinhole camera??? I am pleased and honoured to make your acquaintance, and delighted to know your eyesight is still holding up at such a venerable age. ;-)

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

focussing the sunlight in a narrow beam right down into my eye didn't seem to be such a good idea,

A pinhole does not allow for much focus.

and that you still have one eye left.

I have two.

You created the pinhole camera???

Not what I said.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

All you had to do was narrow your eyes into little slits to avouid this problem.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

I suppose that all the pictures of eclipses in the papers don't help. People get it in their heads that that is what they will see when they look up and its not. Honestly, I did not know that clearly myself until Monday morning.

But despite all the warnings, I knew there would not be extra solar radiation (including light). Some people make the mistake of thinking there will be more, then realize its wrong, then backpedal from safety. Of course there would be less solar radiation, but just not less enough to make looking at for periods beyond seconds safe.

I thought a pin hole in a piece of cardboard would be enough, but it only took a split second of doing that to realize it was still too bright. In the end I looked through no less than 5 lenses from sunglass and the pinhole in cardboard, and even then I did not look for long periods.

-4 ( +0 / -3 )

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