Yesterday following the solar eclipse, Google searches for ‘eyes hurt’ spiked on the search engine, probably as a result of many attempting to look directly at the sun without protective glasses or material. Other popular searches yesterday include “can I look at the sun,” “solar eclipse pain,” and “solar eclipse no glasses.”
Wall Street Journal SEO Editor Shalom Goodman spotted on Twitter/X that users, mainly in the US, were frequently searching ‘eyes hurt’ during or following yesterday’s solar eclipse. Naturally, one would wear protective glasses specifically to view the eclipse, though it didn’t stop many from taking peeks directly at the sun, leading to sore eyes and some even experiencing headaches. I guess Don’t Look Up is a prophetic movie after all.
The main states in America that Googled the terms were Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Arkansas and Texas, many of which were directly along the eclipse’s path, so it makes sense that those areas would see the highest uptick in searches.
Hilariously, the term “MY EYES” started trending on Twitter/X yesterday too. It goes without saying but looking directly into the sun probably isn’t the brightest idea. Furthermore, with the bare eye, it’s pretty difficult to even make out the eclipse unless you wear protective glasses to prevent your vision from being hurt by some heavy glare.
People’s eyes are hurting, and they’re seeking answers pic.twitter.com/RZEPGKdvgk
— Shalom Goodman (@ShalomGood) April 8, 2024
The solar eclipse came and went without much incident beyond some sore eyes, though the internet took the opportunity to make memes out of the situation. Our favourites are all the Berserk references:
Berserk mfs watchin the eclipse pic.twitter.com/DezthNFPeF
— Jack Frost 🇵🇸 (@JackiornoD) April 8, 2024
Due to the global time zones, unfortunately the eclipse couldn’t be witnessed much in South Africa unless you were tuning into a livestream in the US.
Source: Shalom Goodman
