On April 8, 2024, 40 million people across the United States, Canada, and Mexico will have the opportunity to experience a true celestial spectacle, a rare total solar eclipse as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking daylight for several minutes.
Viewing an eclipse can be an awe-inspiring event but proper precautions, including wearing specialized eye protection, should be taken to safeguard sight from harmful solar energy, according to the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).
“The excitement of viewing a natural phenomenon like a total solar eclipse is understandable, but taking steps to view the eclipse safely is crucial to protect healthy vision,” said retina specialist Geoffrey G. Emerson, MD, PhD, FASRS, a member of the ASRS Board of Directors. “Sadly, people across the globe have experienced temporary and even permanent vision loss from improperly viewing a solar eclipse, but this damage from solar retinopathy is preventable with proper precautions.”
The eclipse will be partially visible throughout the 48 contiguous US States, while the path of totality, where a full view of the moon covering the sun is possible, covers a 115-mile-wide strip extending diagonally 8,000 miles across Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Viewing an eclipse without proper eye protection can damage the retina, the delicate, light-sensing tissue that is responsible for sight. Solar retinopathy occurs when the retina is burned and its light-sensing photoreceptors are destroyed. Depending on the extent of the injury, people can suffer residual blurring and/or distortion, temporary or even permanent vision loss.
Solar retinopathy occurs more commonly around the time of a solar eclipse but can occur at any time due to incidents such as having a laser presentation pointer shined in the eye or from sun gazing due to psychiatric conditions or purposeful self-harm.
For direct viewing of the sun during a partial eclipse, special filters are required. The easiest and least expensive option is to buy commercially available eclipse glasses manufactured specifically for solar observation.
NASA recommends the use of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses or pinhole projection for viewing the eclipse. Inspect eclipse glasses before use and discard them if you notice they are torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged.
It is not safe to view an eclipse with other types of filters, such as:
- Camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics
- Sunglasses or smoked glass
- Color or black-and-white film and photo negatives such as X-ray film
- Polarizing filters or neutral-density films
Should you experience vision changes during or following the viewing of an eclipse, seek immediate consultation with an eye physician, such as an ophthalmologist or retina specialist.
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