Solar eclipse damage to woman's eye revealed in striking images

An image taken of the woman's left retina shows damage at the center. Reproduced with permission from JAMA Ophthalmology. 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.5517. Credit: Copyright©(2017) American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Using a new type of imaging, doctors were able to peer into the eyes of a young woman and see — on the cellular level — the type of damage that occurs from looking directly at the sun during an eclipse.

The woman, who is in her 20s, damaged her eyes during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, according to a new report of her case, published today (Dec. 7) in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

In the woman's case, she told doctors that during the eclipse, she looked at the sun for approximately 6 seconds several different times without protective eyewear, and then again for 15 to 20 seconds with a pair of eclipse glasses, according to the case report. She also said she viewed the solar eclipse with both eyes open.