Post the observation of the solar eclipse on May 21, at least 16 people in Japan visited eye clinics due to pain and other eye problems. People from about 16 prefectures faced problems after improper viewing of the eclipse.
The Japanese Opthalmological Society said that out of the 16 people, four were children between the age of 4 and 8 and the oldest was an 80 year old woman. The society added that people viewed the eclipse with their naked eye and did not use protective glasses properly.
People with the complaints of eye problems are likely to develop solar retinopathy, but the symptoms do not seem to be serious. The annual solar eclipse was visible in the eastern and the southwestern Japan, which included Tokyo and a partial eclipse was seen in the rest of the country.
The Japan Opthalmologists Association and the Society are conducting a nationwide survey of solar retinopathy with the help of 14,000 eye doctors throughout Japan. This is the first large scale survey on the disease ever conducted in the world. In Central Japan a 40 year old was stranded at the top of Mount Fuji, which he climbed to view the solar eclipse.
