On August 21, 2017 You Can Be Witness To The Solar Eclipse!
Click on the image to see detailed information about seeing the Eclipse in Cleveland/Northeast Ohio.
The excitement and thrill of witnessing a full solar eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. People gather from all over the world to witness this celestial event, but there is one serious topic that is an absolute requirement, and that’s protecting your eyes from the severe damage that can be caused by looking directly at the eclipse.
Looking at a solar eclipse without proper protection is very dangerous.
A condition called Solar Retinopathy can result from looking directly at the sun. Because there are no pain receptors in the retina, damage can occur without the sensation of pain. During an eclipse, the sun is easier to stare at because it is partially covered by the moon. However, it’s concentration of light is just as strong and can burn the macula (our central vision), causing permanent vision loss.
Our Eye Doctors cannot stress enough the need for everyone looking at the solar eclipse to have ISO approved Eclipse glasses.
For a list of approved and reputable places to purchase eclipse glasses, click here.
According to the American Optometric Association & NASA,
“There is only one safe way to look directly at the sun, whether during an eclipse or not: through special-purpose solar filters. These solar filters are used in “eclipse glasses” or in hand-held solar viewers. They must meet a very specific worldwide standard known as ISO 12312-2.
Keep in mind that regular sunglasses are not effective at protecting your eyes when viewing a solar eclipse.
We hope you safely enjoy this rare event with your whole family.
On August 21, 2017, the United States will experience its first total solar eclipse in 99 years and it will possibly be the most viewed celestial event in history since more than 100 million people live within 200 miles of its direct trajectory. But not everyone will get to experience what most of us imagine a total solar eclipse to be: complete darkness except for the 360-degree solar corona peeking out from behind the moon. According to https://www.nasa.gov/, only those standing directly within the moon’s innermost shadow, the “umbra,” will get to see it. The rest of us will experience a partial eclipse, still an amazing spectacle.
It’s utterly amazing how close such a phenomenon comes to never even happening in the first place. Since the sun is 400 times farther from earth than the moon and exactly 400 times larger, when the sun and moon align just right, they appear the same size, allowing the moon to perfectly block out the sun. If the moon was just slightly smaller, or just a tad closer to the sun, a total solar eclipse would never even be possible. Is this a freak celestial accident or Divine design? Even more interesting is reading up on the peculiar feeling that apparently comes along with experiencing sudden total darkness in the middle of the day. They say a total eclipse causes an unconscious reaction of fear, and a sense of dread, even though your conscious mind understands exactly what is happening scientifically. Animals, insects, and flowers will recognize these two minutes as nightfall…fireflies will emerge, and blooms will close. Imagine nature’s confusion when the sun almost immediately “rises” again.
Of course, I can’t go without mentioning that it only takes seconds to cause permanent ocular damage if proper eye protection isn’t worn during viewing, so we all need to all do our due diligence in educating patients and our surrounding communities about eclipse safety. Take a look at this week’s issue for all the information you need to know about the eclipse phenomenon including what to expect from the eclipse itself, the management of solar keratitis and retinal burns, and what type of viewers to recommend. Here’s hoping for clear skies in August…
