The total eclipse — the first in nearly a century to stretch across the continental United States — was seen in 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina. And everyone in North America got the chance to see at least a partial eclipse, according to NASA.
But Dr. Rajesh Rao, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Michigan, stressed that it’s never safe to look at the sun with your naked eye. It’s not even safe to look through conventional sunglasses, a smartphone, binoculars or a telescope, Rao said in a university news release.
The only way to safely look at an eclipse is through specially designed solar glasses, viewers and lens filters to block the sun’s harmful rays, eye experts said.
“Solar glasses are special lenses that allow the wearer to view an eclipse safely,” explained Dr. Jules Winokur, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
But too often, people ignore advice on eclipse-viewing safety.
Dr. Mark Mugavin works in the University of Louisville’s department of ophthalmology. In a university news release issued before the eclipse, he said his team “sees approximately 10 cases a year of patients with solar retinopathy from high-intensity laser pointers or high-intensity sunlight exposure, such as viewing an eclipse.”
Mugavin added he expected even more cases following this year’s big solar event.
SOURCES: Avnish Deobhakta, M.D., assistant professor, vitreoretinal surgery, department of ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Icahn School of Medicine, New York City; University of Louisville and University of Michigan, news releases, August 2017