Today, millions of people will look up at the sky in awe as they witness a total solar eclipse. But looking at this rare phenomenon may lead to lifelong damage if you’re not wearing the proper eye protection.
Dr. Nicole Bajic, surgical ophthalmologist with Cleveland Clinic says children are more at risk for eye damage from looking at the sun directly without protection, so make sure they’re properly wearing eclipse glasses as well.
“It’s recommended to use eclipse glasses that are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international standard for filters to view the sun directly,” Bajic says. “Even though this is an exciting and rare event, you don’t want to damage your vision for the rest of your life by not protecting your eyes.”
Regular sunglasses will not provide enough protection. Bajic says that looking directly at the sun without eclipse glasses can lead to temporary or even permanent vision loss and stresses it’s important to have your eye protection on before looking at the sun.
If you look at the sun directly without protection, Dr. Bajic says you may experience symptoms such as blurred vision or blind spots. It’s important to follow up with an eye doctor if you develop any vision changes.
Only those in what’s called the path of totality can briefly take off their eclipse glasses when the moon is completely blocking the sun. You must put the glasses back on as soon as you start to see the sun again.
Since those outside the path of totality will only be viewing a partial solar eclipse, they must wear their special glasses the entire time. That’s because the moon doesn’t completely block the sun at any point during a partial eclipse.
“It’s really important to know whether you’re in the path of totality or not. If you’re not, you must wear proper eye protection the entire time,” Dr. Bajic says. “There is never a safe time to take off the glasses during a partial solar eclipse.”
Ways to Watch
If you do not have eclipse glasses, or you are worried small children won’t wear them, you can still partake in this historic event in a few different ways.
Watch a Live Broadcast
NASA has a live broadcast of the Eclipse beginning at 1 p.m. on their website, nasa.gov.
Local TV stations News5Cleveland, Fox 8 and WKYC are also broadcasting the event live from Cleveland.
Pinhole projector
Using a few simple household supplies, you can make your own ceral box pinhole projector. Check out the NASA Goddard YouTube page for a quick, kid-friendly tutorial on how to make your own with a cardboard box and aluminum foil.
Check out live events and watch parties happening around Northeast Ohio.
