An eclipse, particularly a full solar eclipse, is a rare and amazing thing to see. It is no wonder many ancient civilizations held these events in fear and awe as it is very disquieting to see darkness in the middle of a sunny day. However, no matter how exciting the event may be, it is critical to remember to have the right eclipse eye protection and wear it at all times.
There is one exception to that rule of wearing eclipse eye protection. At the time of the full obstruction of the sun by the moon, which will be about 2 minutes if you are in the area of greatest duration for the eclipse, you can look directly at the blocked sun. This is a wonderful way to see the corona, which is the ring of sunlight around the central black area.
However, as soon as there is any type of movement, or there is any visible brightness, you will immediately need to put your eclipse eye protection back on. Often even just a brief glimpse too long can exposure your eyes to the UV and infrared light that is so damaging.
What Not to Wear
When it comes to eclipse eye protection there is only one safe option, and that is ISO and CE approved eyewear. This eyewear, which can be in the form of glasses or hand held viewers, will block 100% of UV light, 100% of infrared light, and 99.999% of intensive visible light.
Unfortunately during these events there are always people who get information off of blogs or websites that are advocating or supporting the used of items that are not effective in protecting the eyes. They may make it possible to look at the sun, but there is limited UV or infrared light protection, which is the cause of the most problematic light for the eyes.
Eye Damage
The reason anyone from children to seniors needs to use eclipse eye protection when looking at the sun is the flooding of the retina with intense light. This condition is known as solar retinopathy, and can actually occur at any time, even without a solar eclipse.
Symptoms of solar retinopathy can include temporary blindness, eye pain, and ghosting or the image of the solar eclipse or black objects that can continue to be problematic for months to years.
The best option to avoid this condition is to wisely choose your eclipse eye protection. Always make sure it is ISO and CE approved and has full protection from UV, infrared and intense visible light.
