Spain counts at least 177 medical attentions after first total solar eclipse since 1912

A first since 1912

Spain witnessed a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, the first visible from the country since 1912. Millions looked skyward, many using certified glasses, but others relied on homemade methods such as CDs, doubled sunglasses or X-ray films. By the morning of August 13, hospitals and emergency services across several autonomous communities were reporting a stream of patients seeking attention for eye discomfort, dizziness or anxiety related to the event.

Regional breakdown of medical attentions

El Mundo tallied at least 177 medical attentions across three regions by August 13. The Comunidad de Madrid recorded 101 cases by 9:00 AM Thursday, comprising 77 in hospitals, 18 through the Summa 112 emergency service and six in primary care. The Basque Country's Osakidetza reported 56 mild cases, 36 in hospitals and 22 in primary care. The Valencian Community's emergency service logged 20 attentions: three mild ophthalmological cases, 11 traumatisms or contusions, five syncopes and one anxiety case, with 12 people transferred to hospitals or health centres.

Navarra recorded seven ophthalmological attentions, all mild and discharged. At the Hospital Universitario de Navarra, 448 urgencies were handled, six of them eclipse-related ophthalmological cases and one paediatric heat case. Extremadura's health service attended three patients with visual alterations (two in Badajoz, one in Mérida), none requiring admission. In Asturias, fewer than 20 patients with eye symptoms possibly linked to the eclipse were seen on Wednesday evening; of 64 people who visited health centres for eye reasons after 8:00 PM, 18 had diagnoses compatible with eclipse observation.

Anxiety outpaces actual injury

At Madrid's Gregorio Marañón hospital, ophthalmology visits jumped from a typical half-dozen per night to nearly 30, yet none involved actual solar lesions. José Luis Urcelay, head of Ophthalmology, told El País the increase stemmed from overconcern.

None of these symptoms corresponds to the possible lesions that sun exposure can cause. If there really is damage, it will manifest as loss of central vision or manifest distortion in image perception.

At the Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid, up to 30 people waited in the ophthalmology area on Thursday morning, with a typical profile of a young person aged 20 to 30 anxious about having watched the eclipse without glasses. In Vitoria, 12 people were seen at the Hospital Universitario de Álava, five in ophthalmology for brief unprotected exposure and seven for mild cases not requiring referral.

The danger of delayed symptoms

The retina lacks pain receptors, meaning damage can go unnoticed immediately. The Journal of Optometry, cited by Xataka, documented symptoms of acute solar retinopathy including central scotoma (a fixed blind spot), blurred vision, metamorphopsia (straight lines appearing wavy), colour alteration and micropsia. Lesions can appear hours or even days after exposure.

Navarra's interior counsellor Inmaculada Jurió noted that some eye injuries "become apparent after hours or days," prompting reinforced ophthalmology staffing. Asturian health chief Concepción Saavedra described public behaviour during the eclipse as "civilised, calm and family-oriented," which helped prevent a collapse of hospital services. Authorities reiterated the need for glasses certified to EN ISO 12312-2:2015 and urged anyone experiencing vision changes to seek urgent ophthalmological care, where drug protocols can minimise damage.