Like so many others, 26-year-old Nia Payne wanted to view of August’s historic solar eclipse but didn’t have a pair of protective glasses. She walked outside on Staten Island and glanced at the sun — 70 percent was covered — for about six seconds before deciding she needed eye protection. She borrowed a pair of what looked like eclipse glasses from someone nearby, then looked directly at the sun for 15 to 20 seconds. They weren’t the right glasses. For two days after, Payne saw a black spot, shaped like a crescent similar to the eclipse itself, in the center...
