Monday, August 14, 2017

Protect your eyes!

I have been reading about the eye dangers of next week's eclipse. One site said many libraries have glasses you can use to watch it. This article recommends NASA approved sunoculars.


Staring into the Sun with a naked eye can result in injury to the retina and even blindness. The danger to the eye comes from infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and excessive blue light. And before you ask, yes, it’s more dangerous than looking at the Sun on any other ordinary day.

This danger is due to the fact that our normal built-in ocular safety doesn’t really work the same during an eclipse, thanks to the juxtaposition of the dark shadow of the Moon against the blazing Sun. The combination of extreme brightness against total darkness creates a sharpness that challenges the eye’s safety focus features, causing it to absorb the damaging image on the most sensitive neural tissue.

Of course, even if it didn’t direct this radiation to the most sensitive areas, the eclipse would still be dangerous. Depending on exposure time and other personal health factors, the damage could be temporary or it could last a lifetime. In either case, it’s not a risk worth taking, and proper glasses are a must.
Read more here.

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