It is something that is drilled into all of us from a child that we should not directly into the sun during an eclipse.
We are told that we could go blind or damage our eyes, but according to one of the UK’s top eye specialists, this is not simply an old wives tale.
Alex Ionides, consultant eye surgeon at Moorfields Hospital in London, told the Mirror Online that there was a real risk of people literally FRYING their eyes on Wednesday.
Make sure you wear protective eyewear if you want to watch the eclipse
Mr Ionides said that parts of the world that are set for a partial eclipse are in particular danger.
“When you try and look at the sun on a normal it is hard because it is bright," he said.
“However, with the partial eclipse it is no longer as bright so it is quite pleasant to look at and the pupil will dilate.
“But because it is a partial eclipse, there is a crescent of sun shining down still.
“The damage is done by the infra red light from the sun that is invisible to the human eye.
“This burns the retina, raises the temperature and fries it.
“It is a bit like a magnifying glass in the playground with a bit of paper.”
Staring at the sun could damage your eyes
The danger comes from the fact that someone looking at the sun will not know they are damaging their eyes.
Mr Ionides said that there is no pain, no feeling that the damage is being done and it is only a few days later that an affected person would notice.
He said: “The damage can last for days, weeks, months or vary rarely it can be permanent.”
Many famous scientists and astronomers throughout history, such as Sir Isaac Newton have suffered solar burns to their eyes - a condition that cannot be treated.
Mr Ionides said: “It burns a dot in the central part of your retina and gives you an after image.
"It makes it very difficult to look at things. the central part of the retina is what you use to look at things like a clock, a page or the television.
"Severely it can damage that central vision so much that you would not be able to read and see properly but that is quite rare."
What not to do
According to Mr Ionides, these are some of the common reasons people harm their eyes during an eclipse
Not using proper eye protection
Using stacked up sunglasses
Looking at the eclipse through binoculars
Looking at the eclipse through a photographic camera
Squinting
What to do
Use proper eye protection
Use a digital camera and watch on the screen
Use a smartphone and watch on the screen
Ask a specialist for the best advice
Comments
Post a Comment
Drop your comments. Thank you