Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec [Video]

Dozens of cases of eye damage related to April’s total solar eclipse have been reported so far in Canada.

The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) told Global News on Thursday that it had received a total of 118 reports of eye complications from the April 8 eclipse.

The conditions reported in the province include inflammation of the cornea and solar retinopathy, which in extreme cases can cause permanent vision loss, said OAO president Josephine Pepe.

The reported cases ranged from Windsor to Ottawa and were not concentrated in any one part of Ontario, Pepe said in an emailed response.

“Many regions had significant cloud cover during the eclipse, and it seems as though most people heeded warnings and used proper eye protection when looking at the eclipse,” she said.

“We believe that both of these factors limited the number of cases of eye complications given that most of Ontario experienced some level of solar eclipse.”

Meanwhile, Quebec’s health department said that 43 cases of …