Risk of solar retinopathy: evaluation of newspaper warnings prior to the 2004 Transit of Venus

Sir,

On June 8, 2004, millions of people in Europe, Africa, and Middle East observed the Transit of Venus, when earth's closest planetary neighbour edged across the sun's disc over a period of 6 h.

Those who observe the sun directly risk permanent damage to their sight through solar retinopathy.^{1, 2} Thermal damage to foveal photoreceptors may cause a small defect in the centre of the visual field.³ No treatment has been shown to be effective.² A preventative strategy by increasing public awareness of the risk of sun-gazing has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of solar retinopathy during eclipses.^{2, 4}

We looked at newspapers to see whether they carried a warning about the dangers of sun-gazing. We surveyed 57 national and local titles from the United Kingdom (UK), evening newspapers from the 7th and morning newspapers on the 8th of June 2004 (Table 1).

Table 1 Results of newspaper survey

Of the 23 UK newspapers which mentioned this solar event, only eight (33%) stated that it is dangerous to look directly at the sun, and only five (18%) suggested a safe alternative.

When drawing public attention to solar events, newspapers and other mass media must also give a specific warning that it is dangerous to look directly at the sun. They should suggest a safe method for observing the event.² Safe methods for observing solar events include a pinhole or other image projection system, ‘eclipse glasses’, or other appropriate solar filter.