Impact of solar eclipses on vision
Reviewed by Kurt Spiteri Cornish

Solar retinopathy occurs as a result of mechanical and photochemical damage to the retina caused by exposure to excessive light. The authors presented the optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography findings of five patients who looked at the solar eclipse with the naked eye. The pathophysiology of solar maculopathy is the photochemical processes that take place after exposure to solar radiation. The damage depends on duration, intensity and spectrum of exposure. The OCT findings included a disruption of inner segment / outer segment (OS) integrity with a subfoveal hyporeflective area and hyperreflective lesions in the ellipsoid zone, outer nuclear layer and Henle fibre layer. This is in keeping with histological studies that reveal that photoreceptor OS membrane is highly sensitive to solar radiation. Optical coherence tomography-angiography showed an increase in foveal avascular zone even in eyes with maintained normal visual acuity. This finding persisted at six months follow-up. There was also a decrease in superficial capillary plexus density in the dominant eyes during the initial visit for all cases. This sign improved at six months. It is speculated that injury from thermal and photochemical effects could potentially result in enduring damage to retinal vessels, playing a role in permanent acuity loss. Correlation between structural changes and visual outcomes remains inconclusive and further research is needed.

Impact of solar eclipses on vision: insights from optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography analysis.
Aygun FB, Tellioglu HT, Kadayifcilar S.
CURRENT EYE RESEARCH
2024;49(9):988–95.