{"id":11563,"date":"2024-03-19T09:10:50","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T15:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=11563"},"modified":"2024-07-29T17:37:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T23:37:04","slug":"total-solar-eclipse-5-tips-to-protect-your-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/total-solar-eclipse-5-tips-to-protect-your-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Total solar eclipse: 5 tips to protect your eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"A
A child views an eclipse with eye protection. Adults should protect their own eyes and also those of children during a total solar eclipse. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sky gazers across Mexico and the United States are preparing for a historic total solar eclipse on April 8. It will be the last total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. until August of 2044.<\/p>\n

Anyone who plans to try to view the eclipse should be extremely careful since it can take as little as one to three seconds for the powerful rays of the sun to cause permanent burns in the eyes, according to Dr. Marc Mathias<\/a>, a retina specialist who cares for both children and adults on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> in Aurora.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no safe amount of time to view the sun without protection,\u201d said Mathias.<\/p>\n

How can I stay safe if I want to see the total solar eclipse on April 8?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re planning to check out the April 8 eclipse, follow these simple guidelines to protect your eyes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. View the eclipse only with special eclipse sunglasses.<\/li>\n
  2. Do not rely on regular sunglasses. They are NOT safe for viewing the eclipse.<\/li>\n
  3. Keep eclipse sunglasses on at ALL times during eclipse viewing (except<\/em> during totality when you can remove eye protection briefly). But this is only visible along a narrow band that will stretch from Texas toward the northeastern U.S. and only lasts about three to four minutes. If you are unsure of whether or when totality is occurring, do not remove your eclipse sunglasses.<\/li>\n
  4. Be sure to provide all children with eclipse sunglasses and be sure they do not remove them during the total solar eclipse.<\/li>\n
  5. If you experience vision loss after viewing an eclipse, please see your nearest retina specialist for evaluation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To help those who plan to view the eclipse, Mathias answered common questions about the sun and eye safety.<\/p>\n

    \"Protect
    Protect your eyes by viewing the cosmic phenomenon with special eclipse glasses. Do not use regular sunglasses to view the eclipse on April 8. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Why are our eyes so vulnerable to burns?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Looking at the sun without protection is very dangerous because the front of the eye is essentially like a magnifying glass, Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe front structure in our eyes acts like a camera system or a magnifying glass to focus light,\u201d said Mathias. \u201cThe retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines the inside part of our eye that’s connected to our brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Think of when you were a child, and you used a magnifying glass to burn a leaf on a sidewalk.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe sun\u2019s rays are very, very powerful,\u201d said Mathias, who is an associate professor of ophthalmology<\/a> at the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a> and cares for patients at both UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> and Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen we look at the sun, the rays are undergoing that some kind of focus that occurs through a magnifying glass, and it\u2019s being focused on our retina,\u201d he said. \u201cIn a very, very short time \u2014 a matter of as little as one to three seconds \u2014 it heats up and essentially causes a burn or a hole to the light-sensitive tissue.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Have you cared for patients who have harmed their eyes during an eclipse or by looking directly at the sun?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Yes, Mathias has cared for many patients over the years who have suffered eye damage from looking directly at the sun.<\/p>\n

    You never want to look straight at the sun whether there\u2019s an eclipse or not, Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    He has treated both children and adults who have suffered eye damage from what eye doctors call \u201csolar retinopathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Some children dare one another to look directly at the sun, and that\u2019s how they get injured.<\/p>\n

    So it\u2019s vital for parents to teach their children never to look directly at the sun and to keep a close eye on them if they\u2019re venturing out to view an eclipse.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYoung children are not aware of the danger, so parents need to make sure their children are supervised and that they are wearing their glasses properly and keep them on for the entire time when they are looking directly at the sun during the eclipse,\u201d Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    Other patients who have suffered solar damage have included people with psychiatric disorders or those with an altered mental state, like those who look directly at the sun while impaired by drugs or alcohol.<\/p>\n

    How do people know if they have eye damage from viewing an eclipse?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    \u201cIn the weeks after an eclipse, we\u2019ll frequently see patients who are complaining of different visual symptoms,\u201d Mathias said. \u201cOften, they\u2019ll have a blind spot in the central part of their vision. We call that a central scotoma.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Mathias said people can lose a significant amount of vision in the center of their eyes very quickly.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAnd during a partial solar eclipse, that damage is often in a crescent shape,\u201d he said. Patients will say they have blind spot.<\/p>\n

    Is eye damage from viewing an eclipse temporary or permanent?
    \n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Unfortunately, Mathias said the damage from solar retinopathy often is permanent.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe retina is an incredible structure in the body, but it doesn\u2019t have the ability to heal itself very well once it has suffered significant injuries,\u201d Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWith more serious injuries, there\u2019s typically not a significant recovery. That\u2019s why we are very, very adamant about educating people. It only takes a few seconds for damage to occur if people are looking at the sun and forget to wear eclipse glasses. It can happen very, very quickly and can cause permanent damage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

    Where can I get glasses that are safe for viewing the eclipse? I hear it\u2019s common for poor-quality eclipse glasses to circulate in advance of an eclipse.<\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s true that people have to be very careful about which eclipse glasses they use, Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    He said it\u2019s vital to make sure your glasses are stamped with the following code:\u00a0ISO 12312-2. This indicates they are manufactured to strict international standards and are NASA-approved.<\/p>\n

    The American Astronomical Society has created a list of approved eclipse glasses, viewers and filters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Another great source for safe eclipse glasses is your local natural history museum or planetarium. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, for instance, sells eclipse glasses through its museum store<\/a>. Some free glasses are also available through the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Check out your local museum or library for more information. And try these fun eclipse activities from the Smithsonian<\/a> that you can enjoy anywhere.<\/p>\n

    In addition to getting eclipse glasses from a trusted source, Mathias said it\u2019s also vital to carefully examine the glasses before using them. That\u2019s because they have a thin film.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou do not want any sort of defect. No matter the source of the glasses \u2014 even those from a good manufacturer \u2014 you always want to inspect the glasses to make sure there\u2019s no damage to the surface. There\u2019s shouldn\u2019t be any scratches, tears, rips or dings in the surface,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

    If I have the right eclipse glasses, is it safe to look through a camera while wearing the glasses?<\/h2>\n

    No. Do not wear solar eclipse glasses to look through a camera, binoculars or a telescope, as the sun can melt the filter and damage your eyes. The device can condense the light and make it even stronger.<\/p>\n

    Instead, people who are trying to capture images of an eclipse need to use special solar filters on your cameras, binoculars and telescopes. If you are not certain whether you have the right equipment, leave the photography to the professionals.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s never safe to look through any optical device, even with eclipse glasses on,\u201d Mathias said. \u201cThat\u2019s the recommendation from all of the manufacturers of eclipse glasses and from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.<\/p>\n

    What if I want to capture photos of an eclipse through my phone?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Using your phone should be safer, but it may be hard to see through your eclipse glasses to take good photos. Enjoy the eclipse and let professionals with proper solar filters on their gear take the photos.<\/p>\n

    What is totality, and can I take my eclipse glasses off during totality?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Inside the area where the total solar eclipse will be visible, the eclipse will cause temperatures to drop rapidly, will create an eerie darkness in the middle of the day and will create a beautiful array of colors from the sun\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

    The path of totality is the area where the moon will completely cover the sun. The path will pass over the Pacific Coast of Mexico at about 11 a.m. local time, then will arc to the northeast throughout the afternoon on April 8, stretching from Texas through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. People in Colorado will only be able to see a partial eclipse. Many eclipse super fans will be traveling to areas where they hope to find clear skies so they can experience the full effects of the eclipse.<\/p>\n

    It is safe to remove your eclipse glasses, but only if you\u2019re in the path of totality and only for a short time, Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf you are within the path of totality, you can remove your eclipse viewing glasses during that time, and you can briefly look at the sun if it\u2019s completely blocked,\u201d Mathias said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cAs soon as any light from the sun comes back into view, you need to put your eclipse glasses back on.\u201d<\/p>\n

    How long will ‘totality’ last during the April 8 total solar eclipse?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Depending on where you try to view the eclipse and how cloudy the weather is, the phase known as totality will last between three and four minutes. (To learn all about totality and how long it will last, check out this interactive map from NASA<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

    I hear total solar eclipses are rare. Is that true?<\/h2>\n

    Yes, total solar eclipses are very rare. The last one that was visible from the United States took place in 2017 and was the first that was visible here since 1979. After the April 8, 2024 event, eclipse enthusiasts will have to wait 20 more years if they wish to witness a total solar eclipse from the U.S.<\/p>\n

    The 2024 solar eclipse won\u2019t be visible from Colorado, but do people who live at higher elevations need to be especially careful when viewing an eclipse or when they\u2019re spending time outdoors. Is the sun more powerful at higher elevations?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Elevation doesn\u2019t make any difference when it comes to keeping your eyes safe during an eclipse, Mathias said. No matter where you are, you need to protect your eyes.<\/p>\n

    But the sun is more powerful all the time at high elevations. So, just like you want to take extra measures to protect your skin by regularly wearing sunscreen at higher altitude, you also want to protect your eyes all the time. It\u2019s an excellent idea to wear sunglasses, Mathias said. And, of course, never, ever look directly at the sun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sky gazers across Mexico and the United States are preparing for a historic total solar eclipse on April 8. It will be the last total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. until August of 2044. Anyone who plans to try to view the eclipse should be extremely careful since it can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":74783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[199,848,9187,228,263],"class_list":["post-11563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-diabetes-care","tag-eye-care-ophthalmology","tag-readysetco","tag-safety-tips","tag-university-of-colorado-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTotal solar eclipse: 5 tips to protect your eyes - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Prepare for the April 8 historic total solar eclipse with tips on how to protect your eyes. 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