causes of wandering eye in adults

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What causes adult amblyopia and what is the treatment?

I'm 25 years old and have been told I have symptoms of amblyopia in my right eye. I'm confused as I thought it was generally a pediatric disorder. What may have caused this and what is the treatment?

Amblyopia is a general term meaning impaired vision.

Amblyopia ex anopsia is visual loss in children, which, if not treated at an early age, becomes permanent. Children do not complain of it and adults usually are unaware of its presence unless they cover one eye or have an eye test, general physical exam, driver's license exam, etc. The eyes themselves are normal to examination but fail to develop normal vision because they are not stimulated in early childhood. This can occur because of a drooping eyelid , cataract or tumor blocking the entry of light into the eye, a large difference in refractive error (need for eyeglass correction) between the two eyes, or strabismus (failure of the two eyes to align on the same target simultaneously). In the latter case, the brain initially sees double, which is annoying, and learns to suppress one image for comfort. The net result is that the vision loss eventually becomes permanent.

Treatment is directed to the cause and may be surgical removal of the obstruction, correction of the drooping eyelid, cataract surgery , eyeglasses , contact lenses , etc. The earlier the treatment is begun, the faster the correction. Often the child has to wear an eye patch on the GOOD eye, or use eye drops to blur it, forcing use of the eye with the decreased vision. We used to believe that this treatment had to be done by age seven years, but often can work in older children. Pleoptics and flashing light treatments have no proven value. Laser vision correction has been used to correct the refractive errors, but patching is still necessary.

The important message here is that no child is too young to have an eye examination, and parents should consult an ophthalmologist promptly if they notice or suspect anything or if there is a family history of amblyopia. This question was originally answered on Sept. 5, 2012.

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• Is surgery possible for adults with amblyopia?
• Lazy Eye Surgery Facts

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

At a glance: Amblyopia

Poor vision in 1 eye

Eye drops or wearing an eye patch

What is amblyopia?

Amblyopia (also called lazy eye) i s a type of poor vision  that usually happens in just 1 eye but less commonly in both eyes. It develops when there’s a breakdown in how the brain and the eye work together, and the brain can’t recognize the sight from 1 eye. Over time, the brain relies more and more on the other, stronger eye — while vision in the weaker eye gets worse.

It’s called “lazy eye” because the stronger eye works better. But people with amblyopia are not lazy, and they can’t control the way their eyes work.

Amblyopia starts in childhood, and it’s the most common cause of vision loss in kids. Up to 3 out of 100 children have it. The good news is that early treatment works well and usually prevents long-term vision problems.

What are the symptoms of amblyopia?

Symptoms of amblyopia can be hard to notice. Kids with amblyopia may have poor depth perception — they have trouble telling how near or far something is. Parents may also notice signs that their child is struggling to see clearly, like:

• Shutting 1 eye
• Tilting their head

In many cases, parents don’t know their child has amblyopia until a doctor diagnoses it during an eye exam. That’s why it’s important for all kids to get a vision screening at least once between ages 3 and 5.

Is my child at risk for amblyopia?

Some kids are born with amblyopia and others develop it later in childhood. The chances of having amblyopia are higher in kids who:

• Were born early (premature)
• Were smaller than average at birth
• Have a family history of amblyopia, childhood cataracts, or other eye conditions
• Have developmental disabilities

What causes amblyopia?

In many cases, doctors don’t know the cause of amblyopia. But sometimes, a different vision problem can lead to amblyopia.

Normally, the brain uses nerve signals from both eyes to see. But if an eye condition makes vision in 1 eye worse, the brain may try to work around it. It starts to “turn off” signals from the weaker eye and rely only on the stronger eye.

Some eye conditions that can lead to amblyopia are:

• Refractive errors. These include common vision problems like nearsightedness (having trouble seeing far away), farsightedness (having trouble seeing things up close), and astigmatism (which can cause blurry vision). Normally, these problems are easy to fix with glasses or contacts. But if they’re not treated, the brain may start to rely more on the eye with stronger vision.
• Strabismus . Usually, the eyes move together as a pair. But in kids with strabismus, the eyes don’t line up. One eye might drift in, out, up, or down.
• Cataract. This causes cloudiness in the lens of the eye, making things look blurry. While most cataracts happen in older people, babies and children can also develop cataracts.

How will my child’s doctor check for amblyopia?

As part of a normal vision screening , your child’s doctor will look for signs of amblyopia. All kids ages 3 to 5 need to have their vision checked at least once.

What’s the treatment for amblyopia?

If there’s a vision problem causing amblyopia, the doctor may treat that first. For example, doctors may recommend glasses or contacts (for kids who are nearsighted or farsighted) or surgery (for kids with cataract).

The next step is to re-train the brain and force it to use the weaker eye. The more the brain uses it, the stronger it gets. Treatments include:

Wearing an eye patch on the stronger eye. By covering up this eye with a stick-on eye patch (similar to a Band-Aid), the brain has to use the weaker eye to see. Some kids only need to wear the patch for 2 hours a day, while others may need to wear it whenever they're awake.

Putting special eye drops in the stronger eye. A once-a-day drop of the drug atropine can temporarily blur near vision, which forces the brain to use the other eye. For some kids, this treatment works as well as an eye patch, and some parents find it easier to use (for example, because young children may try to pull off eye patches).

After your child starts treatment, their vision may start to get better within a few weeks. But it will probably take months to get the best results. After that, your child may still need to use these treatments from time to time to stop amblyopia from coming back.

It’s important to start treating children with amblyopia early — the sooner the better. Kids who grow up without treatment may have lifelong vision problems. Amblyopia treatment is usually less effective in adults than in children.

Last updated: September 22, 2022

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Lazy Eye: Causes and Treatment

• Vision Problems
• Daily Management

If you or your child has a lazy eye ( amblyopia ), one eye is sending unclear images to the brain. while both eyes can be affected, usually amblyopia affects just one eye, with the brain relying on the stronger eye for visual information.

A lazy eye, which some people are born with, is the primary source of vision loss in kids, but adults with vision trouble in one of their eyes also can develop lazy eye later in life.

This article will discuss the causes of lazy eye, vision problems it causes, diagnosis, treatment, and management.

Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health

How Do You Get Lazy Eye?

Lazy eye can develop anytime an eye is not functioning properly and fails to send sharp images to the brain. It is most common in young children. The condition affects up to 3 out of 100 children. Typically this happens in the following instances:

• If one eye over the other is much more nearsighted (able to see near objects more clearly than distant objects) or farsighted (able to see distant objects more clearly than near objects), the brain will begin to ignore the eye sending the fuzzier signals.
• In cases of strabismus , a condition in which the eyes focus on different images, such as if one eye wanders to the side instead of looking straight ahead, the brain will have to choose which eye to rely on for information. It then begins to ignore the other.
• If the normally clear lens (the structure that focuses light on the retina) develops a cataract (a clouding of the lens), after a while, the brain will tune out signals from the eye and will potentially never see normally.

These eye conditions are more likely to occur in some people than others. Those at risk for developing a lazy eye include children who were premature at birth or had a low birth weight and those who come from families where someone else has amblyopia.

Treatment: Can You "Fix" a Lazy Eye?

Effectively treating a lazy eye means first understanding what's causing it while aiming to correct the vision in the weaker eye. Treatment is particularly effective in children under the age 7 whose vision is still developing. Some treatments to consider include:

• Wear glasses to sharpen vision, particularly in the weaker eye.
• Put a patch over the stronger eye several hours a day to allow the brain to begin to rely on the weaker eye.
• Temporarily blur vision in the stronger eye with atropine drops .
• Surgically correct things interfering with vision, such as a drooping eyelid or a cataract .
• Watch videos wearing a virtual reality headset to strengthen the weaker eye (in children ages 4 to 7).
• Perform eye exercises to strengthen the weak eye .
• Undergo muscle surgery to allow the eyes to work better together.

Eye doctors, such as ophthalmologists, encourage early treatment. Seek treatment even if the lazy eye is not discovered until later or there is some other obstacle. Don't consider it to be too late.

Research suggests that even adults can potentially improve their vision. Although it was once believed that the vision center of the adult brain could not hold on to any new experiences or information, research has shown that this is not true, and it is possible to improve vision somewhat.

Identifying Lazy Eye

It helps to know the symptoms of lazy eye to be able to identify it in your child or yourself. Symptoms can be subtle and include:

• A tendency to shut one eye
• Tilting the head to see better
• Squinting to see more clearly
• Eyes that appear to be working on their own rather than together
• Eyes that are inwardly or outwardly turned
• Trouble with depth perception
• Decreased vision in one eye

Because signs in children may be subtle and difficult to discern, it's important to take children between the ages of 3 and 5 for regular vision screenings.

The cause of lazy eye will determine whether and when surgery is needed. For instance, if an infant has a dense cataract, surgery will need to be performed right away. But if the child is older and the cataract is just a small dot, the eye doctor may try other measures first, like patching the eye that doesn't have the cataract.

For children with strabismus (depending on their age), the eye surgeon may want to perform eye muscle surgery as early as possible. Those under age 4 tend to have better outcomes than older children.

While strabismus surgery typically ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 out of pocket, much of the cost usually is covered by insurance.

Vision Problems With Lazy Eye

If children with lazy eye are treated early enough (before age 5), they tend to recover fully, with no lingering vision problems. But if treatment is delayed, the child may have problems with depth perception . Those over age 10 may only recover some vision with treatment and may have some permanent vision loss in the affected eye.

Keep in mind that the impairment in the eye can be mild, with vision in the 20/30 range, or severe, leaving the child legally blind in the eye with 20/200 vision.

Amblyopia Daily Management

In many cases, amblyopia is managed daily with treatments like using drops or patching the stronger eye for a period of time.

If patching is used, you'll initially be asked to cover the stronger eye for about two hours daily. The eye doctor will then monitor vision every six to 12 weeks. If there is not enough improvement, you or your child will be asked to wear the patch up to six hours daily.

Getting a child to keep a patch on can be challenging but is of utmost importance. Some strategies to try if a child resists include the following:

• Rewarding the child for using the patch with computer, device, or TV time
• Motivating them with stickers on a patching chart or diary for hours when the patch is worn

The use of atropine drops is an alternative to patching. Each day a drop is placed in the stronger eye to widen the pupil . It then forces the other eye to be used for close-up tasks like reading.

Also, each day you can encourage your child to perform eye exercises to strengthen the weaker eye, such as the following:

• Viewing dots
• Coloring within the lines
• Playing computer games
• Following an object like a lollipop stick
• Viewing stereograms (a two-dimensional image that can cause an optical illusion if viewed in a certain way)
• Eye relaxation

These can be fun exercises for your child and work to alleviate lazy eye.

Amblyopia (lazy eye) usually affects one eye. With this, the brain begins to rely on vision signals from the stronger eye and ignore those from the weaker, "lazy" one. Reasons why a lazy eye may develop include a cataract, which makes it difficult to see out of the eye; strabismus, in which the eyes are focusing on different points; and a difference in refractive error, in which one eye sees better than the other.

Treatment ranges from patching the stronger eye or blurring with drops, to surgery to remove any obstruction that may cause the vision to be unclear, such as a cataract or drooping lid.

National Eye Institute. Amblyopia (lazy eye) .

Stanford Medicine. Causes and risk factors for lazy eye .

National Health Service. Lazy eye .

American Academy of Ophthalmology. Amblyopia: what is lazy eye?

National Health Service. Orthoptic exercises young person .

American Academy of Ophthalmology. Amblyopia: types, diagnosis, treatment, and new perspectives .

Levi DM. Rethinking amblyopia 2020 . Vision Res . 2020;176:118-129. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2020.07.014

Mount Sinai. Amblyopia .

Boston Children's Hospital. Amblyopia .

Review of Optometry. Recommended strabismus surgery as early as possible.

NVision. The cost of strabismus surgery or correction.

Penn Medicine. Amblyopia (lazy eye).

American Academy of Ophthalmology. Amblyopia treatment modalities.

By Maxine Lipner Lipner is a New York-based freelance health and medical writer who covers ophthalmology and oncology.

Lazy eye (amblyopia)

On this page, preparing for your appointment.

Your doctor will conduct an eye exam, checking for eye health, a wandering eye, a difference in vision between the eyes or poor vision in both eyes. Eyedrops are generally used to dilate the eyes. The eyedrops cause blurred vision that lasts for several hours or a day.

The method used to test vision depends on your child's age and stage of development:

• Preverbal children. A lighted magnifying device can be used to detect cataracts. Other tests can assess an infant's or toddler's ability to fix his or her gaze and to follow a moving object.
• Children age 3 and older. Tests using pictures or letters can assess the child's vision. Each eye is covered in turn to test the other.

It's important to start treatment for lazy eye as soon as possible in childhood, when the complicated connections between the eye and the brain are forming. The best results occur when treatment starts before age 7, although half of children between the ages of 7 and 17 respond to treatment.

Treatment options depend on the cause of lazy eye and on how much the condition is affecting your child's vision. Your doctor might recommend:

• Corrective eyewear. Glasses or contact lenses can correct problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism that result in lazy eye.
• Eye patches. To stimulate the weaker eye, your child wears an eye patch over the eye with better vision for two to six or more hours a day. In rare cases, wearing an eye patch too long can cause amblyopia to develop in the patched eye. However it's usually reversible.
• Bangerter filter. This special filter is placed on the eyeglass lens of the stronger eye. The filter blurs the stronger eye and, like an eye patch, works to stimulate the weaker eye.
• Eyedrops. An eyedrop of a medication called atropine (Isopto Atropine) can temporarily blur vision in the stronger eye. Usually prescribed for use on weekends or daily, use of the drops encourages your child to use the weaker eye, and offers an alternative to a patch. Side effects include sensitivity to light and eye irritation.
• Surgery. Your child might need surgery if he or she has droopy eyelids or cataracts that cause deprivation amblyopia. If your child's eyes continue to cross or wander apart with the appropriate glasses, your doctor might recommend surgical repair to straighten the eyes, in addition to other lazy eye treatments.

Activity-based treatments — such as drawing, doing puzzles or playing computer games — are available. The effectiveness of adding these activities to other therapies hasn't been proved. Research into new treatments is ongoing.

For most children with lazy eye, proper treatment improves vision within weeks to months. Treatment might last from six months to two years.

It's important for your child to be monitored for recurrence of lazy eye — which can happen in up to 25 percent of children with the condition. If lazy eye recurs, treatment will need to start again.

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies  testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.

Your child's doctor might refer you to a doctor who specializes in treating eye disorders in children (pediatric ophthalmologist).

Here's some information to help you get ready.

What you can do

Make a list of the following:

• Symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason why you scheduled the appointment, and when you noticed them
• All medications, vitamins and supplements your child takes, including doses
• Key medical information, including other conditions or allergies your child has
• Your family history of eye problems, such as lazy eye, cataracts or glaucoma
• Questions to ask your doctor

For lazy eye, questions to ask your doctor include:

• What is the likely cause of my child's lazy eye?
• Is there another possible diagnosis?
• What treatment options are most likely to help my child?
• How much improvement can we expect with treatment?
• Is my child at risk of other complications from this condition?
• Is this condition likely to recur after treatment?
• How often should my child be seen for follow-up visits?

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor is likely to ask you questions, such as:

• Does your child appear to have problems seeing?
• Do your child's eyes appear to cross or wander?
• Does your child hold things close to see them?
• Does your child squint?
• Have you noticed anything else unusual about your child's vision?
• Have your child's eyes been injured?

Aug 14, 2021

• Coats DK, et al. Amblyopia in children: Classification, screening, and evaluation. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• AskMayoExpert. Amblyopia. Mayo Clinic; 2021.
• Amblyopia. National Eye Institute. https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/amblyopia-lazy-eye. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• Amblyopia preferred practice pattern. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/preferred-practice-pattern/amblyopia-ppp-2017. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• Coats DK, et al. Amblyopia in children: Management and outcome. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 8, 2021.
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Causes and risk factors for lazy eye, what causes amblyopia.

Any condition that prevents your child's eyes from forming a clear, focused image or that prevents the normal use of one or both eyes can cause amblyopia. It may happen when:

• The eyes do not focus on the same object. This is called strabismus. For example, one eye may point straight while the other looks in another direction. This sends two different images to the brain. In a young child who has strabismus, the brain chooses to receive the images from only one eye.
• Your child is much more nearsighted or farsighted in one eye than in the other. If one eye sees much more clearly than the other, the brain ignores the blurry image from the weaker eye.
• A problem prevents light from entering the eye for a long period of time. A problem in the lens, such as a cataract, or in the clear "window" at the front of the eye (the cornea) may cause amblyopia. These types of problems are rare but serious. Without early treatment, your child may never develop normal vision in the affected eye.

Your child may be more likely to have amblyopia if someone else in your family had it or if your child had a premature birth or low birth weight.

Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Optometry

Byers Eye Institute

Adult Strabismus

• • A condition in which eyes wander to one side, cross, or are higher or lower than the other
• • Symptoms include double vision, which can start suddenly or gradually
• • Treatment includes placing prisms or opaque films in eyeglasses; surgery is also an option
• • Involves ophthalmology
• Strabismus (crossed eyes)
• Strabismus Surgery
• Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Hemiballismus

What are the symptoms of adult strabismus?

What are the most common types of strabismus, what causes adult strabismus, how is strabismus diagnosed, what are the treatment options for adult strabismus, what makes yale medicine’s approach to treating adult strabismus unique.

People who see second lines of print while they're working at their computer or see a car heading down their lane while they're driving may be suffering from strabismus, says  Martha Howard, MD , a surgeon at the Yale Medicine Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Program . "It can be very frightening,” says Dr. Howard.

Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not aligned. It affects people’s ability to function and can even cause them to lose their independence. Fortunately, in many situations, it’s also very treatable. Yale Medicine offers an array of strabismus specialists who have a deep knowledge of conditions, treatment and procedures.

An adult with strabismus will experience double vision. The onset can be sudden or gradual, says Dr. Howard. The distortion may occur only sometimes or in specific circumstances.

Strabismus may be intermittent at first and then become constant. “It may only happen when you look in a particular direction,” says Dr. Howard. “For some people, it may occur only when they are looking to one side."

Many times, the appearance will be obvious to outside observers. “But sometimes only family members or friends will notice that the eyes are not aligned,” Dr. Howard says.

Children with strabismus don’t see the second image because their brains suppress it. Adult brains don’t have that ability.

An estimated 4 percent of adults in the United States will experience strabismus in their lifetimes. The condition can be further described by the direction of the misalignment.

• Esotropia, the eyes cross inward
• Exotropia, one or both of the eyes look outward
• Hypertropia, one eye moves up out of alignment
• Hypotropia, one eye moves down out of alignment

Some adults with strabismus were born with the condition. It may have first appeared when they were children, but corrected itself as they matured. The risk of adult strabismus increases with age, so the condition can reappear when a person gets older.

“Unfortunately, as we age, our eye muscles do not function as well as they did in the past,” says Dr. Howard. “We call that decompensation.”

Such other health problems as circulation or neurological problems can lead to strabismus. Mini-strokes, diabetes and hypertension can impair the circulation to the muscle or to the nerves that control them. “Damage to different cranial nerves can cause strabismus and double vision,” Dr. Howard says.

Strabismus can occur in people with a history of thyroid disease, even if the thyroid blood levels are in control. Tumors in the brain stem or in the eye can cause strabismus as can trauma.

Diagnosing strabismus starts with a simple test: covering and uncovering each eye.

“When either eye is covered, the double vision resolves,” says Dr. Howard. “That’s a distinguishing feature. If you cover an eye and the double vision remains, that’s not strabismus.”

The ophthalmologist will perform a complete exam and check a patient’s ocular motility, which describes how well the eyes move in various directions. The physician will also measure the misalignment with prisms. “From that information, we can identify what kind of strabismus the patient has,” she says.

“In some situations, the double vision will resolve with time,” says Dr. Howard.

In some patients, strabismus can be improved by placing prisms in their glasses. In other cases, one eye must be covered with an opaque film over one lens of a person's glasses to eliminate the second image.

Surgery can play a significant role in improving the symptoms of strabismus. When necessary, surgery is usually performed with local anesthesia in an outpatient setting. However, general anesthesia is possible as well.

“I often use adjustable sutures,” says Dr. Howard. This allows post-surgery fine-tuning with topical (eye drop) anesthetics.

We have the only program for strabismus in southern New England located within an academic medical center. We are experts in diagnosing and treating strabismus disorders in adults. Our ophthalmologists understand the available options to improve symptoms of strabismus, including surgery if prisms become unwieldy.

Wandering Eye

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A wandering eye is a type of eye condition known as strabismus or tropia, and it may be caused by damage to the retina or muscles that control the eye, stroke or brain injury, or an uncorrected refractive error like farsightedness. With a wandering eye, one eye deviates or wanders in a different direction when looking at an object.

What Causes a Wandering Eye?

The eyes contain muscles to which they are attached to, and these muscles receive signals from the brain that direct eye movement. Normally, the eyes work together so that they focus in the same direction at the same time. However, with a wandering eye, there is poor eye muscle control and one eye turns away from the object that the person is attempting to hone in on—either up, down, in or out. The eye that turns may do so all the time, or it may only do so at certain times, such as when the person is fatigued, sick or has overworked the eyes as a result of prolonged reading or staring at a computer. There are other cases where the eyes may alternate turning.

Because the eyes are misaligned, the brain receives a different image from each eye. While the brain will learn to ignore the image it gets from the wandering eye, if left untreated, lazy eye or amblyopia can present. This is characterized by a permanent reduction of vision in the traveling eye, and can lead to poor depth perception.

A wandering eye can be classified by the direction the eye turns:

• Inward (esotropia)
• Outward (exotropia)
• Downward (hypotropia)
• Upward (hypertropia)

It may also be classified in other ways:

• Alternating (the eye that turns alternates from left to right)
• Unilateral (always involves the same eye)
• Constant or intermittent (the regularity with which it occurs)

Testing and Treatment

To determine the classification, and in order to develop a treatment plan for a wandering eye, an optometrist will look at a number of factors to understand the cause of the condition, as well as how the eyes move and focus. This may include:

• Looking at the patient’s  family history
• Reviewing the patient’s  medical history
• Observing the external and internal structures  of the turned eye
• Refraction  – a string of lenses are put in front of the patient’s eyes and a handheld instrument with a light source is waved pass. This is done to gauge how the eyes focus and can conclude the lens power needed to correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, astigmatism and farsightedness.
• Visual acuity  – reading letters on distance or near reading charts to measure and estimate the amount of visual impairment
• Focusing and alignment testing   to determine how well your eyes move, focus and work together.

Information gathered from these assessments will help your optometrist devise a treatment plan, which could consist of vision therapy, eyeglasses, prism or eye muscle surgery. If treated early, a wandering eye can be corrected and vision can be restored.

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After the solar eclipse: Eyesight blurry? What are the symptoms of eclipse blindness? What to look for

The 2024 solar eclipse brings a rare event to ohio, but safe viewing is essential to avoid "eclipse blindness" and what could become permanent eye damage..

Ohio will witness a unique and spectacular event when the solar eclipse darkens skies around the state. A large swath of the state will be shrouded in total darkness as it falls in the path of totality (even if data suggests that path might now be smaller ).

Hopefully you're prepared with the best glasses or have supplies to construct a viewer at home . If not, you'll want to forget about watching this eclipse. Here's why.

Looking at the sun during an eclipse without protection can permanently damage your eyes

Fast forward to the hours after the solar eclipse :

You witnessed an amazing celestial sight that reminded you of our place in the cosmos. Or you stepped outside long enough to check it out, post a pic to Facebook and call it a day. But now  your eyesight is a bit blurry , and straight things look a little curved. Did you damage your eyes?

Even a short glance at the sun  without proper protection  can cause temporary or permanent damage to your eyes. Sunglasses aren't enough, you need  ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses  which block  about 1,000 times  more sunlight.

So make sure your glasses are approved, undamaged and within arm's reach today. The solar spectacle will last most of the afternoon in Ohio, but the path of totality will last just a few minutes.

When does the solar eclipse start in Ohio?

Have your eclipse glasses ready after lunch, Buckeye State stargazers. According to National Eclipse , Ohio residents can first see the moon overtake the sun at 1:53 p.m. before it fully reappears at 4:30 p.m.

The eclipse totality will last from 3:08 to 3:19 p.m. as it cuts a swath from southwest to northeast Ohio. Cincinnati and Columbus lie just south of the path of totality (northern suburbs of both cities will experience total darkness), but Akron, Cleveland, Kent and portions of North Canton lie in the path of totality.

Here's when some Ohio cities along its path can expect the total eclipse, and how long totality will last:

• Hamilton – Begins at 3:09:09 p.m., will last 1 minute, 42 seconds.
• Dayton – 3:09:29 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 43 seconds.
• Springfield – 3:10:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 34 seconds.
• Marion – 3:11:14 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 34 seconds.
• Delaware – 3:11:36 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
• Fremont – 3:11:46 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 38 seconds.
• Dublin – 3:11:59 p.m., will last 1 minute, 23 seconds.
• Port Clinton – 3:12:12 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
• Toledo – 3:12:17 p.m., duration 1 minute, 53 seconds.
• Mansfield -- 3:12:23 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
• Ashland – 3:12:43 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
• Wooster – 3:13:39 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
• Akron – 3:14:14 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
• Cuyahoga Falls – 3:14:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
• Cleveland – 3:13:46 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 49 seconds.
• Kent – 3:14:31 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 47 seconds.

What was the last solar eclipse in Ohio? When is the next one?

Congress voted to welcome the Ohio to the United States in 1803. The Buckeye State was still a toddler the last time it experienced a solar eclipse in 1806. Eclipse glasses were decades away from being invented.

Ohio's next solar eclipse comes a little sooner than 281 years, but the 2024 event is still a once-in-a-lifetime show for many viewers – the next one won't happen until 2099.

Let's be clear: If you're in Cincinnati or Columbus on April 8, you won't see a total solar eclipse

How do I know if I damaged my eyes during the April eclipse? What are the symptoms of eclipse blindness?

So you watched the eclipse with glasses, but maybe they slipped off, were damaged, or were never ISO certified. How do you know if you damaged your eyes?

The retinas of your eyes have no nerve endings, so even if they are damaged, you may not feel any pain. But according to the  American Academy of Ophthalmology , you should go see your ophthalmologist if you experience any of these symptoms a few hours or even days after the eclipse:

• Blurry vision.
• Headache and/or eye pain.
• Vision loss or a black spot at the center of a patient’s sight in one or both eyes.
• Increased sensitivity to light.
• Distorted vision (a straight line may look bent or curvy).
• Changes in the way you see color, known as "dyschromatopsia."

How long can I look at the sun if I'm using eclipse glasses?

According to the American Astronomical Society, while some glasses and viewers include warnings about looking through them at the sun for more than 3 minutes at a time, as long as your glasses are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and are undamaged, "you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through them for as long as you wish."

What does looking at the sun do to your eyes?

Ever started a fire by using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto a point?

The lens of your eye does essentially the same thing when it focuses the light you see onto the retinas at the back of your eye, the  American Academy of Ophthalmology  explained. The retina is the light-detecting part of your eye that transmits those signals to the brain. Direct, intense light can burn a hole in them or destroy retinal cells almost immediately.

Normally it hurts to look at the sun and humans naturally squint or look away. Even a few seconds can be too much. But during an eclipse, the visible sunlight is reduced and it becomes possible to look directly at it without discomfort for longer periods of time. You may not even know you've damaged your eyes until the next day.

The result is solar retinopathy or retinal burns. It can happen from looking at the sun or at too-bright reflections of sunlight off snow or water. The most common cause of solar retinopathy is viewing a solar eclipse, also called eclipse blindness.

It's rare, but it can be permanent. The  2017 eclipse , which passed from Oregon to South Carolina, is thought to have caused about 100 cases, according to the  American Astronomical Society , out of the estimated 150 million people who witnessed it. But since solar retinopathy doesn't cause complete blindness, many people with minor cases may have never reported it or even known they had it.

How long will damage from looking at an eclipse last?

Researchers have found that some patients "may see symptoms ease over time," according to  David Hutton  for Ophthalmology Times. The cones in the retina are resilient and resist damage, experts say.

In a 1976 study, some patients saw their symptoms clear over time, and researchers found that some cases saw an "excellent recovery" in the first three months.

However, others have suffered permanent damage resulting in impaired vision in the form of a small blind spot in one or both eyes and distortion.

Is damage from looking at a solar eclipse treatable?

No. There is no treatment.

You should have an ophthalmologist scan your eyes to see how much damage has been done and they can monitor them over the next few months to chart any recovery, but the only thing you can do is wait and hope for it to go away.

And avoid looking at the sun.

Eyes hurt after looking at the sun during Monday's eclipse? Here's what experts say

Maybe you couldn't resist.

The temptation to look at the solar eclipse without proper eye protection was strong for many people, and if you were among them, you may be wondering about the damage.

Staring directly at the sun without safety eyewear can cause irreversible eye damage within seconds, according to the Adler Planetarium . Eclipse observers probably would not register pain because there are no nerve endings inside the eye.

If your eyes or vision feel off, it could be a sign of solar retinopathy, when light damages the retina.

Some people experience a blind spot in the center of their vision, also known as the paracentral region, according to Dr. Dave Rogers, AAPOS Solar Eclipse Task Force Chair & Chief.

"That can last a month, it might even last up to a year before it recovers, and rarely it may not recover at all," Rogers told USA TODAY.

Symptoms may not appear for hours

The pain of looking at the sun is not instant, and the same goes for symptoms of damage.

Someone may not know they experienced solar retinopathy until a hours after exposure, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology said visual symptoms typically begin within a few to six hours, but some can experience them after 12 hours.

Total solar eclipse 2024 live updates: Watch video and see photos of the sky spectacle safely

What are symptoms of solar eye damage?

According to the ophthalmology academy, people can notice these symptoms after staring at the sun:

• Blurry vision.
• A blind spot in your central vision in one or both eyes.
• Increased sensitivity to light.
• Distorted vision such as a straight line appearing bent or a door jamb looking curvy.
• Changes in the way you see color or dyschromatopsia.

Do not panic after symptoms

Most eclipse viewers are probably fine, experts say, even if their eyes are strained the effect could be temporary.

About 100 documented cases of eye damage were reported after the 2017 total solar eclipse across the U.S. and Canada, Chou said, according to NPR .

Most people who visited emergency rooms with concerns of watery eyes or blurred vision were mainly fine, Mount Sinai ophthalmologist Avnish Deobhakta told NPR.

What to do if you have symptoms

Though there is no treatment for solar retinopathy, it's still necessary to visit an ophthalmologist if you have difficulties with your vision, the ophthalmology academy says. "Some will suffer from permanent vision loss, in the form of a small blind spot and distortion."

Solar retinopathy is commonly caused by laser pointers

As an pediatric ophthalmologist, Rogers said most Rogers solar retinopathy he sees are when a store bought laser pointer is lit directly on a child's eyes due to the intense ultraviolet light.

"It can burn the retina just like the sun does. And it happens in a matter of seconds. So this is an entity that we see throughout the year. And not just on the eclipse day," Rogers said.

Vision Therapy for Adults

Can adults benefit from vision therapy?

Do you feel like your work performance is impacted by constant headaches or eye strain?

Are you finding it difficult to meet deadlines? 

What is vision therapy?

Vision therapy is a remarkably effective program that improves vision skills to achieve clearer and more comfortable vision.

Through a series of progressive therapeutic eye exercises, patients develop normal visual skills. Enhancement of the visual skills is achieved by improving the communication between your brain and your eyes.

Vision therapy can be best understood as gym for the brain!

Vision therapy is designed as an individual and personalized treatment program, often used in conjunction with other treatments such as eyeglasses or eye surgery. Vision therapy is performed under the supervision of an eye doctor and performed once per week in sessions lasting 30-45 minutes.

Home practice is given to reinforce exercises learned during in-office therapy sessions. Commitment to weekly sessions and therapy homework assignments are essential for optimal results.

Is vision therapy effective for adults?

YES. Vision therapy is often just as effective for adults as it is for children.

Adults can succeed with vision therapy as well as children, due to neuro-plasticity . Neuroplasticity enables your brain to remain dynamic and flexible throughout your life.

Additionally, adults are usually highly motivated to improve their visual skills— this gives them the energy to push through any difficult obstacles. Visual function training used in vision therapy can be compared to learning a trade or playing an instrument— the more you practice or train, the stronger and more skillful you will become.

Vision therapy can treat a variety of vision conditions:

• Strabismus (eye turn)
• Amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Convergence insufficiency (eye teaming)
• Saccadic dysfunction (eye tracking)
• Traumatic brain injury (concussion)

How does a lazy eye affect vision?

Amblyopia, commonly known as a “lazy eye” is a neuro-developmental vision condition. Lazy eye develops when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity, causing blurry vision in the affected eye, even with corrective eyewear.  The condition also commonly presents with poor depth perception, and reading difficulties.

According to research, amblyopia affects up to 1 in 33 of the population— this means up to 10 million people in the USA may have a lazy eye!

What causes a lazy eye? 

Lazy eye is diagnosed when the neural connections between the lazy eye and the brain have been affected. A healthy eye-brain connection can be compared to a multi-lane highway— the eye sends visual signals to the brain to be interpreted, and the brain sends signals back to the eye to enable clear vision.

However, in the case of amblyopia, the “highway” does not work as a multi-lane road due to a disconnect in the visual pathways. Therefore, the connection between the brain and the lazy eye may be similar to a one-lane street, or even a walking track.

Vision conditions that may cause lazy eye

• Isometropia is a significantly high, but equal optical prescription in both eyes.
• Anisometropia is a significant difference in eyeglass prescription (i.e. nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism) between the two eyes.
• Constant strabismus is a constant noticeable turn of one eye in any direction. An inward turn of the eye (Esotropia) is the most common.  Amblyopia resulting from strabismus can be easier to detect because the noticeable eye turn alerts to a vision problem.
• Ocular obstruction can result from any physical blockage of vision, such as a cataract, trauma, lid droop (ptosis), or blocked tear duct.

A lazy eye can develop as a result of the conditions listed above, however the true underlying cause of lazy eye is a reaction in the brain, called suppression.

Suppression occurs when the brain actively ignores all of the visual information coming from one eye to avoid blurry or double vision (diplopia) .  Suppression can cause serious consequences, and can lead to an eye turn, also known as strabismus.

Do I have a lazy eye?

It may be difficult to recognize a lazy eye because the condition usually develops in one eye, and may not present with a noticeable eye turn.

It is therefore important to schedule an eye exam if you notice any of the following signs and symptoms.

• Shutting one eye or squinting
• Rubbing eyes often
• Poor eye-hand coordination
• Accident prone
• Poor depth perception
• Difficulty with fine eye movements
• Reduced reading speed and comprehension
• Poor eye focusing skills
• Inability to follow an object with just the eyes
• A cross-eyed appearance
• Unusual eye movements such as flickering or blinking

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor to help improve your visual skills.

SEE RELATED: Vision Therapy for Adults: Success Stories

Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You

Is vision therapy effective in treating adults with lazy eye.

Yes! Vision therapy has been shown to greatly improve the visual skills of the lazy eye by re-training the visual system.

Recent studies have shown that the neural pathways of the brain can be enhanced at any age—this means that a lazy eye can actually be treated at any age, even into adulthood.

Vision therapy for adults can be very effective, but might take longer to achieve the optimum results. Of course, the earlier the condition is diagnosed the better the outcome usually is.

For many decades, it has been thought that amblyopia (lazy eye) can only be treated for children up to around ages seven to nine years— meaning that lazy eye treatment was usually not provided to children older than nine.

However, recent research from the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that a lazy eye can be successfully treated at least up to age 17 .

The NEI research was conducted at 49 eye centers across the U.S., including the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Mayo Clinic, The Emory Eye Center, The Ohio State University, Southern California College of Optometry, and the State University of New York, College of Optometry.

The study includes 507 children between the ages 7-17, and found that it is possible to improve eyesight even in children up to age 17.

Results showed:

• 53 percent of 7 to 12 year-olds had improved vision following treatment!
• 47 percent of 13 to 17 year old children also gained improved eyesight!

Through vision therapy, the two eyes will be trained to work together to achieve clear and comfortable binocular vision.

Some vision therapy programs to treat amblyopia may include:

• Accommodation (focusing)
• Fixation (visual gaze)
• Saccades (switching eye focus, “eye jumps”)
• Pursuits (eye tracking)
• Spatial skills (eye-hand coordination)
• Stereopsis (3-D vision)

Can adults have convergence insufficiency?

Yes . Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a highly treatable binocular vision condition that can affect adults. 

Convergence insufficiency affects near vision and eye muscle coordination. Convergence of the eyes occurs when the two eyes need to focus on a close object, such as a book, computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. Convergence insufficiency means the eyes struggle to focus for near tasks, affecting work performance and attention to tasks.

What are the symptoms of CI?

There are many different symptoms that can develop as a result of CI— these are the most common:

• Headaches or muscle tension
• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty reading and concentrating
• Uses finger or ruler when reading
• Avoidance of close work
• Poor hand-eye coordination
• Motion sickness/dizziness

If you have CI, the following tasks may be challenging:

• Computer work
• Comprehension

Untreated CI can lead to avoidance behaviors such as reading and close work, or the use of various strategies to combat symptoms, such as using a ruler or finger to keep one’s place while reading or taking frequent breaks.

Can CI cause visual suppression?

If untreated, convergence insufficiency can lead to more serious eye problems such as lazy eye (amblyopia) or even an eye turn (strabismus).

If the convergence problems are left untreated, suppression can result. Suppression of vision in one eye occurs when the brain actively shuts off one eye, causing loss of binocular (two-eyed) vision and depth perception.

In this case, some or all of the following symptoms may present:

• Trouble catching balls and other objects thrown through the air
• Avoidance of sports and games that require accurate depth perception
• Trips and stumbles on uneven surfaces, stairs, and curbs
• Frequent spilling or knocking over of objects
• Bumping into doors, furniture and other stationary objects
• Sports accidents
• Avoidance of eye contact
• Poor posture while doing activities requiring near vision
• Frequent head tilt
• Problems with motion sickness and/or vertigo

Is vision therapy effective for treating adults with CI?

Yes! Vision therapy is the most effective treatment for CI.

Standard eyeglasses, contact lenses, medications, and surgery will not be effective in treating the condition.

Treatments for CI can be categorized as active or passive:

Active treatment : A multi-site randomized clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute called the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial showed that the best treatment for CI is supervised vision therapy in a clinical office with home reinforcement (15 minutes of prescribed vision exercises done in the home five days per week).

Passive treatment : Prismatic (prism) eyeglasses can be prescribed to decrease some of the symptoms.

• Although prism eyeglasses can relieve symptoms, they are not a “cure” and the patient typically remains dependent on the prism lenses.
• Adaptation problems can lead to the need for stronger prescriptions in the future.

In many cases, prisms are prescribed in combination with vision therapy. Vision therapy focuses on training the eyes to work together to improve 3-D vision, depth perception, and clear binocular vision.

Treatment exercises for CI may include:

• Eye tracking with pursuits and saccades
• Focusing for near and distance
• Depth perception practice
• Specialized equipment and tools such as prisms and lenses
• Training with computerized technology

The goal of vision therapy is to stimulate the communication between the brain and eyes, to enable clear and comfortable vision at all times.

Adults and eye turns (strabismus)

How does strabismus affect vision.

Strabismus occurs when the two eyes are unable to maintain proper alignment and focus together on an object— one eye looks directly at the object, while the other eye points in a different direction.

Strabismus is often referred to as, ‘crossed eyed’, ‘wall eyed’, an ‘eye turn’,  or a ‘squint’.

The eye turn may be:

• Inward (esotropia, or ‘cross-eyed’)
• Outward (exotropia or ‘wall-eyed’)
• Upward (hypertropia)
• Downward (hypotropia)

The condition can be a constant or intermittent problem, and may consistently affect the same eye (unilateral) or affect a different eye each time (alternating).

Up to 5 percent of the population has some type of strabismus. 

Strabismus does not go away on its own— but it is usually treatable.

What causes strabismus?

Strabismus that affects adults can develop in adults may be caused by:

• Severe farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Lazy eye (amblyopia)
• Significant difference of optical prescription between the two eyes
• An ocular muscle weakness (eye movement problems)
• Head trauma or stroke
• Brain tumors or other systemic health issues

What are the signs and symptoms of strabismus?

Strabismus may initially cause double vision that can be quite uncomfortable.  To prevent double vision, the brain begins to actively ignore visual input from the affected eye, often resulting in amblyopia (lazy eye) or an eye turn, where the eyes are no longer aligned.

The most common sign of strabismus is noticeable misalignment of the eyes , where one eye is turned up, down, in, or out when compared to the other.

Other symptoms can include:

• Double vision
• Reading difficulty or fatigue

Is vision therapy effective for treating adults with strabismus?

Yes! Vision therapy is highly effective for the treatment of strabismus.

A vision therapy program for strabismus will include improvement of:

• Eye alignment
• Eye teaming
• Eye focusing
• Eye movements
• Binocular vision
• Visual processing

Therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters may be used as part of a vision therapy program.  Vision therapy not only involves ocular muscle training, it also includes training and development of the eye-brain connections (neuroplasticity) required for clear and comfortable vision— resulting in a lasting cure.

Sometimes, a program of vision therapy may be recommended by your eye doctor after strabismus surgery in order to re-train the visual system.

It is important to treat strabismus as early as possible, as the eye turn may be a result of a serious health issue.

If you have an untreated vision problem you may be experiencing difficulty at home, at work, and even during sports activities. There is no need to continue suffering! 

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy for Adults

Schedule an eye exam and vision evaluation for a proper diagnosis, and to discuss if a vision therapy program is the appropriate treatment for you .

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Survey: One third of Americans don’t know solar eclipse health risks

April 2, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As excitement grows in the United States for the total solar eclipse on April 8, a new survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds nearly 30% of Americans don’t know looking at a solar eclipse without protection can cause permanent eye damage.

“The survey results highlight the need for more community education about the true dangers associated with a total eclipse,” said Nicholas Kman, MD , emergency medicine physician at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and clinical professor of emergency medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine . “We can’t stress enough the importance of proper eye protection, but people also need to have a plan for emergencies.”

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, causing periods of darkness across parts of the country. The path of totality where viewers can see the sun’s corona or outer atmosphere is a popular tourist destination. According to NASA, about 32 million Americans live in areas along the path of totality. Many others have plans to travel to see it. This may cause crowding and increases in traffic.

In addition to wearing specialized eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard or creating an eclipse projector using a cardboard box, Kman recommends preparing for the total solar eclipse like you would for a potential disaster.

• Know the risks : Looking at the sun without proper eye protection can permanently damage the retina. Large crowds have the potential for crush injuries or children becoming separated from parents and caregivers. High use of public WiFi can cause channel overcrowding leading to slow internet speeds or difficulty connecting.
• Make a plan : Discuss your eclipse viewing plans with family members and travel companions. Make travel arrangements and expect to remain in that location hours after the eclipse ends. If you are separated from your group, discuss how you will find each other.
• Gather supplies : Create an emergency kit with food, water, first aid supplies, medications, cell phone charger, weather-appropriate clothing and a map. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and cash. Bring a solar filter, eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector.

“The total solar eclipse is a rare event and we want people to be safe as they enjoy it,” Kman said.

Survey methodology

This study was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from February 2– February 4, 2024 among a sample of 1006 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=976) and telephone (n=30) and administered in English. The margin of error for total respondents is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older.

Media Contact: Serena Smith, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, [email protected]

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Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

Solar eclipse myths and rumors bubble up, from radiation to food poisoning.

Bill Chappell

People visit a NASA information booth to grab solar eclipse glasses in Russellville, Arkansas. The space agency has debunked a number of myths about the total solar eclipse — including ideas about food going bad, or unborn babies being harmed. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

People visit a NASA information booth to grab solar eclipse glasses in Russellville, Arkansas. The space agency has debunked a number of myths about the total solar eclipse — including ideas about food going bad, or unborn babies being harmed.

Will a solar eclipse harm a pregnant woman's baby if she looks at it? Does an eclipse emit special radiation that can instantly blind you?

Those are some of the ideas people have been asking about — and that experts have been pooh-poohing — as people in North America anticipated seeing a total eclipse, from Mazatlán to Montreal.

Here's what time the eclipse will be visible in your region

Monday's total solar eclipse begins over Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PT, moving east through Texas and up to Maine, finally leaving the continent on Newfoundland's Atlantic coast.

Solar eclipses have long triggered fanciful explanations and warnings, from religious mythology to modern-day superstition. In recent days, for instance, a message circulated online warning people to turn off their cellphones and other devices before midnight ahead of the eclipse, warning of powerful radiation and cosmic rays.

In reality, a solar eclipse brings a temporary sharp drop in solar radiation — an event that ham radio operators have been eagerly anticipating for months, with competitions and experiments looking to fill the Earth's suddenly radiation-free ionosphere with radio signals.

Persistent but unfounded beliefs even prompted NASA to devote a special page to debunking misconceptions about a solar eclipse.

Total eclipses don't produce rays that cause blindness, NASA says

During totality, electromagnetic radiation from the sun's corona will not harm you. In fact, the only time it's safe to look at the sun without eye protection, as the sun's brightness is fully obscured by the moon and its corona is visible.

But outside of totality, your eyes can be harmed during an eclipse. If the sun is only partially obscured, looking at it will damage your retina. You can look if you have special solar glasses, but don't count on those to protect you if you want to use a telescope or camera lens that doesn't have a solar filter.

As NASA says , "the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury."

Another thing to remember: Take breaks if you're using a special filter to look at the sun before or after totality. As the space agency says , the sun's infrared radiation can make you uncomfortable, "as it literally warms the eye."

You should look away from the sun periodically, or use an indirect viewer like a pinhole projector to track the eclipse.​

More things NASA says are NOT true about a total solar eclipse

Myth: if you are pregnant you should not watch an eclipse because it can harm your baby..

Another notion that seems to be rooted in concern about radiation. To put people's mind at ease, NASA employs a sort of "you're already soaking in it" example, citing the neutrino particles produced by the sun's nuclear fusion:

"Every second, your body is pelted by trillions of these neutrinos no matter if the sun is above or below the horizon. The only consequence is that every few minutes a few atoms in your body are transmuted into a different isotope by absorbing a neutrino. This is an entirely harmless effect and would not harm you, or if you are pregnant, the developing fetus."

MYTH: Eclipses will poison any food that is prepared during the event.

NASA gives a hypothetical: What if some bad potato salad makes people sick during an eclipse? Food poisoning is very common — and it shouldn't be blamed on a rare celestial event, the agency notes.

"The basic idea is that total solar eclipses are terrifying and their ghostly green coronae look frightening, so it is natural to want to make up fearful stories about them and look for coincidences among events around you."

Other myths have to do with omens and major events

Here are four that NASA singles out for debunking:

MYTH: Eclipses are harbingers of something very bad about to happen.

Myth: solar eclipses foretell major life changes and events about to happen., myth: solar eclipses are a sign of an exceptional celestial event taking place in time and space., myth: solar eclipses six months after your birthday, or on your birthday, are a sign of impending bad health..

NASA ascribes many of these ideas to astrological forecasts being propped up by confirmation bias.

As the agency says, "We tend to remember all the occasions when two things happened together, but forget all of the other times when they did not."

Other myths — such as the idea that the moon turns black during an eclipse, or that the Earth's two poles don't see eclipses — are simply false, the agency says.

Eclipses have deep spiritual meanings

Ideas about an eclipse's potentially powerful effects aren't new. In fact, solar eclipses do also cause some unusual things to happen .

Want to see how a solar eclipse alters colors? Wear red and green on Monday

People in totality can expect to feel a sudden drop in temperature, for instance. Stars and planets become visible in the middle of the day, and humans can experience a range of odd visual effects — from the sharpness of shadows to the movement of "shadow bands" and a change in how we perceive color.

Then there's the eerie effect of the eclipse moving from west to east, adding to the perception that time isn't moving in its normal path.

Many cultures and religions link eclipses to energy, seeing them as events of renewal and promise — or in some cases, of vital energy being drained away.

For the Ojibwe and other Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region, a story about a solar eclipse centers on a boy and his sister who trap the sun after it burns him.

In many folktales, magical animals try to eat the sun or the moon. In Hindu mythology, a serpent god, Rahu Ketu, wanted to eat the sun — but then his head was cut off. That created two new entities, Rahu and Ketu, according to the Folklife Today blog from the Library of Congress.

"These are the deities of eclipses and comets. Rahu is fixated on eating the sun and the moon, and will try to catch them and gobble them up," the blog notes. "Fortunately he only succeeds once in a while. Since his head was cut off, the sun or moon just falls out the hole where his neck used to be. This is an eclipse."

As Folklife Today notes, in many cultures, humans take up the duty of ending an eclipse, often by making noise and beating on drums or gongs to dispel the spirit that's attempting to take the sun.