A round-up of the eye-related hot topics that have been trending on social media over the last few weeks.
#Solar #Eclipse
Of course, there isn’t any other way I could possibly start this issue’s section. The recent solar eclipse, a once-in-a-generation event, was seen by millions and the associated articles made this one of the biggest trending topics I have covered thus far. Initially, I was really pleased to see how many articles were put out to educate people on how to safely enjoy it, with the BBC even warning people of the real-life consequences by interviewing Peter Smith, who caused permanent retinal damage from looking at the solar eclipse in 1999 [1]. And yet, does it really surprise anyone that Google searches for ‘my eyes hurt’ went up by 1500% in the UK that very evening, and the same phrase in Spanish, ‘me duelen los ojos’, went up by 5000% worldwide [2]. X and TikTok were flooded with posts about people’s symptoms from looking at the eclipse [3], from pain to blurred vision to dark spots – it was like an eye emergency centre bingo card. I saw my share of such patients on call the next day, so it seems that even with a strong media campaign of safety, there are always going to be people determined to become our patients.
#Tattoo #Eyeballs
I have previously talked about people who have gone through eyeball tattooing, and it really is a wild concept to me. And yet a recent article has driven conversation online towards the people making the decision, rather than the procedure itself. Content creator InkedJuliusz has gone through the process of tattooing his sclera black, alongside other body modifications such as a split tongue and head implants. He is also blind and uses a white cane to navigate, due to optic atrophy secondary to gliomas as part of the disease course of his neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The reason InkedJuliusz has decided to speak out, is because he often receives verbal abuse on the street that his decision to get his eyeballs tattooed is what caused his blindness, that he has done this to himself [4]. However, he explains that this is not the case. He had suffered vision loss from a much younger age, during his childhood, a time well before he got the tattoos. He went through the scleral tattooing process as a way of reclaiming control after years of being at the whim of his disease. With NF1 taking the function of his eyes, he wanted to change their appearance to make them entirely his own, on his own terms. When looked at through this lens, there is actually a fantastic degree of empowerment in his choice, and even if it’s not something I would go through myself, no one should feel unsafe walking around because of their appearance.
#AI #LowVisionAid #Ireland
Whether you look at AI as a stairway to Heaven or a stairway to Hell, it can’t be denied that it has been transformative to the modern world. And in the many ways this has been negative, it’s sometimes good to see a positive outcome. Ray Ban Meta AI glasses can be used as a low vision aid, helping identify objects, read signs and making hands-free calls. I have tried a demonstration of this kind of device at a sight loss charity in the past and was positively surprised at how effective it was at providing real-time descriptions of what I was looking at. Now, Meta have announced that they are donating 15,000 pairs of these glasses to sight-loss charity Vision Ireland, Ireland’s national sight loss charity, which is enough to donate one pair to each blind or visually impaired adult the charity supports across the country [5]. Meta are also funding the in-person training for using the glasses for those who are eligible. Hopefully this is a step towards improved independence and confidence in those who take up the offer.
#Tadalafil #Glaucoma
It’s great to see a bridge between researchers and the general public, but when a national newspaper picks up a study from the British Journal of Ophthalmology, any ophthalmologist needs to be prepared for the inevitable questions that can come up in clinic. The mainstream media have reported on the results of a study from Taiwan that showed people taking tadalafil were more likely to develop glaucoma or ocular hypertension [6]. The authors did stress that this was an observational study and is not showing cause-and-effect, and that their findings do not contraindicate the use of tadalafil. As a trainee subspecialising in glaucoma, I have actually had patients ask me in clinic about the glaucoma risks of these medications specifically, perhaps it’s from the wider media reporting on studies like this that has driven patient engagement.
#EyeMask #Risky
Eye masks have been in the headlines recently, with warnings to holidaymakers that this common flight accessory can increase the risk of developing a bacterial keratitis, particularly if combined with wearing contact lenses [7]. When also taking into consideration the low humidity on flights and the risks contact lenses alone have, adding an additional potential source of infection can be a recipe for disaster. But with a clean, well-fitting eye mask, this risk can be reduced and hopefully if someone is going to be sleeping on a flight, they would be taking their lenses out in the first place! Alas, having seen lots of corneal ulcers in contact lens wearers, this might be too much to ask for.
References
1. www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy5d19q9kngo
2. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/
solar-eclipse-eyes-hurt-uk-37547765
3. www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16049293/
Britain-eye-pain-solar-eclipse.html
4. www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/
blind-man-tattooed-eyeballs-slams
-37528970#comments-wrapper
5. www.joe.ie/news/meta-donating-free-ai-glasses
-to-blind-people-across-ireland-879163
6. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/
tadalafil-erectile-dysfunction-prostate
-glaucoma-blindness-b3027772.html
7. www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/holidaymakers
-risk-going-blind-harmless-34413768
[All links last accessed September 2026]
