This Monday, April 8, a full solar eclipse will pass through North America, moving across Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Many Midwest states will be impacted, including Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and portions of Michigan. According to NASA, the partial solar eclipse will begin at 12:42 p.m. Central Time, followed by totality at 1:59 p.m.
There is a concern that if you have been subjected to direct sunlight for a prolonged amount period in the back of your eye, you might essentially burn your retina and suffer permanent vision loss, sometimes complete vision loss, if the exposure is long and intense enough,” said Dr. Benjamin Kemp, OSF HealthCare Emergency Physician.
During the eclipse, more individuals are at danger of causing significant eye injury. While it might be difficult to look at the sun on a normal day, the covering of an eclipse can offer people a false sense of security.
That is the most perilous moment since you are still receiving effective sunlight on the outskirts of an eclipse. However, it’s a little bit dimmer overall, so people think, ‘I can look at it since it’s not as bright out.’ But even when there isn’t a total eclipse, you get that bright sunshine in the inner part of each eye,” Dr. Kemp explained.
NASA recommends the following safe eclipse viewing tips:
- Wear specialized “eclipse” glasses or welder’s goggles rated 14 or above.
- Utilize specially developed sun telescopes or solar binoculars.
- Use only authorized solar filters on telescopes, cameras, or binoculars.
- Use a pinhole projector (a card with a small hole punched into it can project a picture of the sun).
- Supervise youngsters cautiously when they use sun filters and eclipse glasses.