While most sky watchers have nothing to worry about, a few people may have suffered serious eye damage.
Many Americans are calling eye doctors after the historic eclipse because they are worried they were “blinded by the light.”
Read: Suspected Car Thief Arrested After He Stops to Gawk at Eclipse: Cops
Following the historic event, the biggest trending searches on Google were “seeing spots” and “how do I know if eclipse damaged my eyes?”
“The number of people I saw looking at the sun without protection was very high,” New York eye doctor Jay Wisnicki told Inside Edition.
Many people were so afraid of ruining their eyesight that it was given a name: “Eclipse Hypochondria.”
For a very small number of patients, the concern about burning the retina is real and the symptoms include blurry vision, blind spots, color blindness and intense headaches.
“People who were calling in today were people who were outside during the eclipse yesterday, some were wearing the appropriate eyewear, some were not,” Dr. Naomi Goldberg, an ophthalmologist at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, told Inside Edition. “We are getting a variety of phone calls with different complaints.”
Read: Dark Day: Solar Eclipse Mania Takes America by Storm
Some animals didn't enjoy the eclipse as the sudden darkness terrified monkeys at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C.
At The Nashville Zoo, a flock of flamingos bunched together for safety and giraffes were seen running wild.
Watch: Couple Saying 'I Do' Under the Total Solar Eclipse: 'He Loves the Sun, I Love the Moon'
