Eclipse-Related Emergency Ophthalmology Presentations Following the August 2026 Solar Eclipse in the United Kingdom

Introduction: Solar eclipses can cause solar retinopathy, but eclipse-related presentations may reflect public concern as well as true retinal injury. We evaluated the immediate ophthalmic service impact of the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse in the United Kingdom and characterised associated clinical, imaging, and online search findings. Methods: An observational case series was conducted at Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, a tertiary eye casualty unit serving Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, England. Patients attending on 13 August 2026 with new visual symptoms or concern about ocular injury after viewing the Sun or eclipse were identified. Clinical characteristics, viewing behaviour, presenting and pinhole visual acuity, and multimodal retinal imaging findings were recorded, including optical coherence tomography, colour fundus photography, and fundus autofluorescence. Google Trends was used to assess contemporaneous UK online search interest in eclipse- and eye-related terms. Results: Of 128 eye casualty attendances on 13 August 2026, 10 (7.8%) were eclipse-related. Median age was 37.5 years, 7/10 (70%) patients were female, and 9/10 (90%) reported bilateral symptoms. Seven patients (70%) intentionally viewed the Sun or eclipse, and none reported confirmed use of certified eclipse glasses. Reduced or blurred vision was reported by 5/10 (50%) and photophobia by 4/10 (40%). Visual acuity was 6/9 or better in all 20 eyes and 6/6 or better in 17/20 (85%). Pinhole visual acuity was unchanged from presenting visual acuity in all 20 eyes. No clinically apparent macular abnormality or characteristic acute solar-retinopathy phenotype was identified. Google Trends showed a sharp, temporally concentrated increase in eclipse-related ocular searches around the eclipse, with several post-exposure queries showing marked increases or being classified as Breakout. Conclusions: The eclipse produced an immediate measurable burden on emergency ophthalmology services, with approximately 1 in 13 attendances on the following day being eclipse-related despite no definite acute solar retinopathy being identified. The accompanying increase in online search activity suggests substantial public concern with little demonstrable acute retinal pathology. As surveillance was restricted to the first full day after the eclipse, later presentations and longer-term symptom evolution cannot be excluded.