At the age of 14, she began to notice at school that she could no longer clearly see the numbers on the board. Eventually, an eye doctor diagnosed macular degeneration. The retina is especially important for bright and detailed vision. The damage could not be operated on because the nerve tissue was also affected.
Read more Aurelijus Veryga calls for the creation of a sexual offenders registry in Lithuania at last
Now 45-year-old López recalls secretly looking at the Sun with other children in the schoolyard back then. “We started saying: let’s see who can last the longest,” she told EFE.
Since then, her vision has gradually worsened. Today, as she describes it herself, she constantly sees as if through thick fog and can hardly distinguish colors anymore.
These warning signs must be taken seriously
Mercedes López’s story is based on painful personal experience. However, the danger of unprotected glances at the Sun is not always immediately apparent.
According to the German professional association of eye doctors BVA, damage caused by direct viewing of the Sun often does not appear immediately, but only after a few hours or even after a day.
Read more Evaldas Stankevičius. Wages are rising, but who will pay for their increase?
Warning signs can include blurry or washed-out images in the center of the visual field, increased sensitivity to light, altered colors, suddenly wavy-looking straight lines, or longer-lasting afterimages.
“If a person notices vision disturbances after viewing, they should not hesitate – it is necessary to see an eye doctor,” emphasizes BVA representative Dr. Christian Richter.
After retinal damage, full vision recovery is not guaranteed. There is currently no treatment that can restore already damaged retinal cells.
Read more Scammers are becoming more brazen – seniors are being trained even before the call to the bank
