As many might know, a total solar eclipse is happening throughout the United States next Monday (4/8). This is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime event, as the next eclipse within the US won’t happen until 2044– quite a ways away.
The 2024 eclipse itself will occur within Dallas from 12:23 to 3:02, with the majority of such being a partial eclipse. This is when eclipse glasses are necessary. From 1:40 to 1:44 there will be an eclipse totality, meaning that the moon has fully covered the Sun, and glasses can be removed during this allotment of time.
However, despite the excitement of the event, it can alter lives in many different ways, being an amazing sight but also having the capacity to ruin yours. It only takes up to six seconds to permanently damage your retina and leave you half-blind for the rest of your life.
Here are some safety precautions that should be taken to protect your vision:
- Always wear solar eclipse glasses during the actual eclipse. A proper pair of solar glasses have lenses that block more than a thousand the amount of light. They should, currently, be completely dark when looked into indoors.
- The best, and the only eclipse glasses that you should trust, have a ISO 12312-2 certification, meaning that they’ve been independently tested to be safe. They should also have a company address on them, with most not proving such being found to be fakes (which, upon testing, have failed to meet the requirements to protect your eyes).
- Do not wear sunglasses during the eclipse. They will do absolutely nothing.
- Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer– the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
Remember, the damage following direct exposure of your eyes to the eclipse is more like a sunburn than a heat burn, permanently scarring your eyes if viewed for too long.