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Detecting Eye Damage From The Solar Eclipse

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — Many people have complained about headaches and sore eyes after watching the solar eclipse. Eye doctors say right now it may be too so...

FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- Many people have complained about headaches and sore eyes after watching the solar eclipse.

Eye doctors say right now it may be too soon to tell if you have any damage, and that symptoms typically take a few days to show up.

"It's interesting. The first thing you would probably notice is a generalized blurring in your vision," Ophthalmologist Claire Price said.

Price said if you're seeing black or a dark grey spot in both eyes after looking at the eclipse, you should make an appointment with your eye doctor.

"A lot of the symptoms we're hearing, it's just nothing you know, it's headaches, it's dryness, it's those kind of things, and a lot of that is from just being out in the sun all day," she said.

Dalton Clark, 21, said he couldn't resist looking up at the sun without his protective glasses.

"No headache," he said. "My eyes felt kind of different, but no headache or anything like that."

If there is any damage, there's not much doctors can do.

"There's no treatment, so getting in early versus late isn't gonna do anything," Price said. "We've just gotta see you and perform a few test to see if indeed you can see that damage at the microscopic level."

To determine eye damage from the sun, doctors will perform both a retinal exam where they dilate your eyes. They'll also perform what's called an OCT test that shows damage at a microscopic level.

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