No eye injuries in Cork following solar eclipse

Cork people heeded HSE advice and avoided looking directly at the eclipse last week, evidenced by a lack of reported eye damage incidents.

A partial solar eclipse took place last week, and the HSE had warned beforehand: “Looking directly at the sun can cause serious and permanent eye damage.

“If you plan to view the eclipse, always use certified solar eclipse glasses or a solar viewer and make sure children are supervised.

“Ordinary sunglasses are not safe for viewing an eclipse. Never look directly at the sun through binoculars or a telescope.”

More than 6,500 free solar eclipse glasses had been provided by Blackrock Castle Observatory, but last-minute cloud cover obscured the eclipse from view in most of Cork city and West Cork, though good views were reported in parts of East Cork.

The British press has since reported that dozens of people had attended Moorfields Eye Hospital in London by the following morning with injuries attributed to the eclipse.

However, the HSE have confirmed that there were no such injuries reported in Cork.

A spokesperson told The Echo: “Cork eye casualty services are now located at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH).”

They added: “SIVUH have confirmed that no patients cited looking at the eclipse as a cause of injury.”