Why is it important to wear glasses during an eclipse? University of Iowa professor explains
Millions of Americans are getting ready for Monday’s solar eclipse, some even traveling to get the best view. Experts have been saying for years that looking at an eclipse is dangerous. Timothy Boyce, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery at the University of Iowa spoke with Our Quad City News via Zoom to discuss the dangers and how people can protect their eyes.
“It’s actually just bad to look at the sun in general,” said Dr. Boyce. “It’s no different than any other day; it’s just that more people are going to look at the sun because they want to look at the eclipse. The sun’s rays are no stronger, it’s just that it is dangerous to look at the sun directly without any eye protection.”
There’s serious risk when a person looks directly into the sun without protection, he said. “You could think of the eye as like a camera in some ways. It has a lens system up front and the retina is like the film of the camera. That’s actually what sees the lights, the brain tissue of the eye. If you’ve ever used a magnifying glass to burn leaves very quickly, the same thing can happen in your eye. It’s basically a magnifying glass towards the back of the eye and can cause a burn to the retina. That can cause permanent central vision loss and there’s no way to get that vision back when it happens.” He says people who wear contacts or glasses aren’t at higher risk because of an extra layer between their eyes and the sun.
The safest way to look at an eclipse is by using special glasses. “They’re extremely dark and so if you put them on just to test them, you shouldn’t really be able to see anything when they’re on,” he said. “The only thing that you could see is when you look at the sun; you’ll finally see something but otherwise it should be extremely dark and difficult to see otherwise.”
Like any other product, there are some glasses that are safer than others. “They should meet a certain standard which I believe is the ISO 12312-2 and that should be printed on the glasses,” said Dr. Boyce. “I’ve heard some reports of some fake ones, which is really concerning. I think you should test them before looking at the sun and make sure when you put them on, you really can’t see anything and that it’s extremely dark.” Sunglasses, motorcycle helmets and welding helmets won’t be safe to use because they don’t get dark enough to protect eyes.
Glasses must be worn during the entire four to four and a half minutes that the eclipse is underway. However, people who are outside but aren’t looking at the eclipse, such as drivers, don’t need to worry about eye protection. Neither do pets or livestock, as they normally don’t stare at the sun.
Using a camera, binoculars or telescope to view the eclipse isn’t a safe option for your eyes, he said. “If you had those special glasses on, they’re only to be used with your eyes only.” The only safe way to photograph an eclipse is by using a special filter.
Dr. Boyce wants people to think about eye protection every day, even when an eclipse isn’t happening. “I think it’s just important to protect your eyes at all times and using these glasses is the way to protect yourself from having a potentially blinding condition.”
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