On August 21, a total or partial solar eclipse will be visible from every single US state. Twenty of the cases involved burns or inflammation to the retina. Just one hospital alone in Leicester had 45 patients complaining of eye trouble, the journal Lancet reported. In 1999, a solar eclipse passed over the United Kingdom. But an eclipse is an opportunity to appreciate our place in the universe. Normally we don’t look at the sun because it’s uncomfortable. So be sure, if you think your eyes have been damaged, to see a doctor for treatment! This can be treated with steroids or other anti-inflammatory drugs. In less severe cases, Schuman says, there may just be swelling in the retina. “Looking at someone and being able see their face - but not their nose” is how he described it to NBC. “Oh, 20 seconds probably, that’s all it took,” Louis Tomososki, an Oregon man who was partially blinded during a total solar eclipse in 1963, told a local NBC affiliate. And because the light from the sun hits the center of the retina, this burn occludes the sharpest region of central vision. Think of it like a spinal cord tear: permanent. It doesn’t heal because the retina is nerve tissue, Schuman explains, which doesn’t readily regenerate.
“So you have a permanent area that you don’t see, a permanent blind spot.” What’s worse, a retina burn doesn’t heal like a sunburn on the skin. “The light from the sun is very intense and concentrated into a very small area, and then that light is converted into heat and that heat cooks the retina,” Schuman says. Something similar happens with the lens in your eye when it’s focused directly on the sun. It focuses light intensely enough to start a fire. But think of what happens when you hold a magnifying glass up to the sun. The retina can handle indirect sunlight just fine. We see thanks to the retina’s chemical sensors picking up on the presence of light and transmitting information to the brain. When light enters our eyes, the lens focuses light to the retina, located in the back of the eye. The energy it expels is so intense it can actually burn holes in your vision.Īnd it’s particularly dangerous because of the anatomy of our eyes, Joel Schuman, chair of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health, explains. It’s the most energetic object for light-years in all directions (it’s literally a huge fusion reactor). The sun is the most powerful source of energy in the solar system.
How the sun can burn a hole in your eyeball So here’s a short guide to why staring at the sun is so bad for you, and what you need to look out for when purchasing or using eclipse glasses. Because if you don’t, you risk permanent eye damage. You either have to find some eclipse glasses, breaking out some very dark welder’s glasses, or use an indirect method - like a pinhole projector (more on that below) - to view the eclipse. Still, there’s no excuse for not protecting your eyes if you’re going to admire the partial phases of the eclipse, when the sun is not totally covered by the moon. And Amazon has recalled pairs that didn’t meet international standards for solar viewing (or whose manufacturer didn’t provide proper documentation). Making matters worse: Counterfeits of certified glasses have been spotted.Online, the prices have spiked: You can find a box of five for $100 on Amazon! Not long ago, they cost about $1.50 each. At least in North Carolina, people have been camping out for a chance to snag a few last remaining pairs. Retailers across the country are reportedly selling out of the specs due to high demand.
Unfortunately, obtaining eye protection in recent days has become a major pain. If you’re going to stare at the sun during the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21, you need eye protection.
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