Nashville Retina Specialists Say They’ve Seen No Rush Since Eclipse

If you’re still seeing spots from the solar eclipse, it’s past time to see a doctor.

But it looks like Tennesseans heeded warnings about potential eye damage. Nashville’s largest retina specialists say they haven’t diagnosed anyone with eclipse-related vision loss.

The Vanderbilt Eye Institute even set up a little triage clinic for people who stared at the sun without proper protection. Retina specialist Paul Sternberg says someone would notice a problem pretty quickly — like they’d been in a bunch of flash photos.

“Generally, your effect will be fairly immediate,” he says. “And if it doesn’t recover relatively quickly, there may be some improvement over time, but you are at risk of permanent loss.”

But so far it doesn’t look like many folks failed to take proper precautions, or at least aren’t going to the doctor just yet.

Vanderbilt saw 10 patients within a day of the eclipse and a few more trickled in through the week for a total of 15. Tennessee Retina received seven phone calls, and saw two patients in person. But no one has been diagnosed with
what’s known as solar retinopathy. A Tennessee Retina spokesperson credits preventative efforts by health officials.