A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, causing the moon to block the Sun.
The Great American Eclipse
"The Great American Eclipse" took place on August 21, 2017, and received huge media coverage because it was the first solar eclipse visible in the United States since June 8, 1918. As a result, record numbers of Americans took the time to look into the skies, see the eclipse, and report immediately to their ophthalmologist.[1]
The Great American Blindness
Ophthalmologists braced themselves for what would inevitably be the busiest work days of their lives as Americans appreciated the solar eclipse as the last thing they would see with their eyes before they melted into nothingness.[2] Though ophthalmologists were seeing patient volumes of up to 100 patients per hour, there was scarce need for intervention, though having to say "I'm sorry, you're blind now" over and over again did take its toll.
The Great American Neck Stiffness
On top of 300 million Americans losing their vision, over 290 million Americans developed excruciating neck pain, the result of staring into the sky with their heads tilted back for minutes even hours on end. As of October 16, 2017, these 290 million Americans have yet to recover and no one has successfully been able to look down and tie their shoes since the solar eclipse took place.
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