Solar eclipse: Avoid eye damage with these precautions

It may seem like everything is aligning during a total solar eclipse on April 8, but some warn those observing the spectacle must take precautions to protect their eyesight.

If you are eagerly awaiting the total solar eclipse on April 8, there are some precautions you will want to take to protect your eyesight.

Dr. Mark Eltis, a Toronto-based optometrist, told Global News that viewers of the eclipse will need special glasses, with ISO 12312-2 rating, to protect their eyes from any possible damage.

“Those glasses are much darker than regular sunglasses,” he said. “You can’t wear regular sunglasses.”

The eclipse can provide a false sense of safety since the sun will be dimmer, but harmful rays are still present, he added.

Without proper eye protection, the light rays that do shine through will travel to the back of the eye, called the retina. That’s where the cells interpret the light and send the information to the brain. Damage from those rays can happen within a minute, Eltis said, and you won’t even feel it is happening.

“Our pupils will be more dilated because there’s less light, so the rays will go to the back of the eye and they can burn those cells that interpret the light,” Eltis said. “That’s the danger.”

You will only know there is damage “when it’s too late,” according to Eltis, and while the damage can be temporary, it can also be permanent.

Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist based in New York State, told Global News a story of a patient in New York City who was walking down the street during the 2017 solar eclipse. She looked up at the spectacle for about six seconds, realized she needed eye protection, borrowed glasses she thought were protective, and then looked at the eclipse for another 30-40 seconds.