Looking at the eclipse that occurred the previous day garnered attention from onlookers.
After the incident, a woman took a video on TikTok to raise awareness about the danger of looking directly at the sun.
The video was shared on TikTok, where Bridget Kyeremateng shared her story to warn others of the sun's dangers and gained the attention of viewers.
Bridget Kyeremateng, 29, from Brooklyn, says that a brief glance at the 2017 eclipse without proper eye protection resulted in permanent vision damage.
In the footage, Bridget left viewers stunned after revealing that looking at the eclipse for seconds caused lasting impairment.
The vieo has the caption: "I wear prescription sunglasses now because of this. The prescription takes into account the slow 20/20 vision and newly formed astigmatism",
In the viral video, Kyeremateng revealed that she looked at the eclipse for only 10-15 seconds with one uncovered eye.
However, she woke up the next morning with a disturbing realization.
She explained: ‘There was like a blind spot on every other word that I was reading… I couldn’t see things. And I said, “Oh my god”.
This impairment not only makes it difficult for her to read words but also to recognize traffic signs. The situation escalated when she woke up and noticed a gaping blind spot in her left eye.
After the incident, her deteriorating health prompted her to rush to the eye doctor.
An optometrist confirmed Kyeremateng's fears: the sun's rays had burned her retina, causing permanent vision loss. This damage manifests as migraines, blurry and distorted vision, and white dots in her left eye.
In the comment section, several viewers express their shock after Kyeremateng's sharing, while another suggests that she didn't wear 'specialized eye protection glasses,' which led to her permanent vision loss.
One person said: at least you had the clarity to only sacrifice one eye instead of both.
A second wrote: Ohhhh I used to look directly at the sun often… ok that may explain why one of my eyes has worse vision than the other.
While a third commented: So glad you didnt look with both eyes! also research castor oil and vision benefits.
Another added: this might be crazy but have you had your binocular vision tested as well? i have "slow" 2020 vision as well & it took me 3 eye doctors to figure out i have a form of binocular vision dysfunction/BVD.
After the video, Kyeremateng hopes to prevent others from suffering similar vision loss as her.
Additionally, Kyeremateng's story serves as a reminder to always use specially certified solar eclipse glasses when viewing the sun, even when it's partially obscured.
Looking directly at the sun is dangerous because it lacks pain receptors in the back of the eye. Damage can occur without immediate discomfort, as Kyeremateng's experience demonstrates.
The sun's harmful rays, even during an eclipse, can cause lasting vision problems.
